Oetojo scolds lax jail authorities
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman has ordered all special treatment accorded to businessman Edy Tansil by officials at the Cipinang Correctional Institution stopped immediately.
Edy is the businessman convicted of siphoning off Rp 1.3 trillion (US$620 million) in loans from state-owned Bapindo bank in 1994.
Oetoyo discovered the special treatment while conducting an impromptu inspection of the penitentiary recently, Antara reported.
"Edy should experience the same treatment as the other inmates. He should not have been given special privileges. It is true that inmates should be treated humanely, but that does not mean that certain prisoners should be allowed to enjoy special treatment," the minister said at his office yesterday.
Inmates at the penitentiary said that Oetoyo found a color TV set and a fan that doubles as an air-conditioning unit in the cell of the former Golden Key Group boss, who is presently serving a 20-year prison term.
Oetoyo's impromptu visit to the penitentiary at midnight caught the institution's officials, including its director, Mintoardjo, off guard. The minister was accompanied only by his driver.
Oetojo immediately asked Mintoardjo to remove the TV set and the fan from Edy's cell.
"I have instructed the penitentiary director to give equal treatment to all inmates, regardless of their social status. All inmates have the same rights and duties at penitentiaries, so there should be no discrimination," Oetoyo said.
Special treatment
He pointed out that the practice of giving special treatment to certain inmates could give rise to jealousy among the other inmates. "This could impair the reputation of the officials in charge at the penitentiary. Officials at the justice ministry could also be affected."
Other inmates at the penitentiary told The Jakarta Post recently that Edy has converted a small storehouse next to the clinic into a comfortable pavilion. They said they once saw a TV set and a video player in Eddy's room, which is separated from the other inmates' cells.
The minister also criticized the lax control at a penitentiary in Bali, in which an inmate was found using a cellular phone allegedly smuggled into his cell by his wife. "Administrative sanctions should be imposed on the officials held responsible for this."
When asked about the growing number of murders committed by youths, the minister expressed deep concern at the phenomenon. "Their actions are no longer regarded as juvenile delinquency, but have been categorized as crimes. I'm very concerned about this."
Big cities in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, are prone to student brawls. In the last five days, three teenagers have been killed in brawls in the capital.
Oetojo said this phenomenon should be viewed from various perspectives, because it involves various factors, including education, economy, the ever-growing population, the limited number of public transit vehicles and the modernization now sweeping through big cities like Jakarta.
The minister said that the increasing number of people living in the city has turned many Jakartans into "aggressive people".
Oetoyo cited the Pavlovian theory about white mice which are put into a cage." They lived peacefully and respected each other when their number was still small. But when the number kept growing, with the room and food supply remaining limited, they became aggressive, hitting and clawing at each other every day." (bas)