'Other officials are also corrupt'

Attorney General M.A. Rachman is under fire due to his failure to reveal some of his assets to the Public Servant's Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN). This has sparked public controversy, especially as he holds the top position in the law enforcement field. Some Jakarta residents shared their views on the case with The Jakarta Post.

Komeng, 21, a sidewalk vendor who has been selling electronic goods at Palmerah railway station for almost three years. He lives in Kebon Nanas, Tangerang:

I don't really care about the law enforcers, including judges and prosecutors. I only care about my own life because they never think about poor people like me.

Besides, the revelations about the law enforcers never end and neither do our problems. It's all the same, they never side with poor people who are seeking justice. They often make things even worse for us. This really disappoints us, the ordinary people.

I think the Attorney General, M.A. Rachman, should be punished. A poor man in a kampong can be mobbed for stealing a chicken. Why then is a senior official untouchable?

You see from what I have just said how rotten our court system is?

Santosa, 69, a taxi driver who comes from Yogyakarta. He resides in Condet, East Jakarta, with his wife and five children:

Judges, prosecutors and other law enforcers are immoral. They have the mentalities of bastards. We know that.

They are only concerned with securing their own interests. They act like they are righteous and just. But they're just a disgrace to their professions.

We can see in many cases that the law enforcers do nothing to help the public get justice. Instead, they often victimize those who seek justice.

In short, they don't side with low-income people. Just the opposite, in fact, they extort the needy. You see how they behave now.

I think the Attorney General's case has been politically engineered. But let it happen, we cannot do anything to stop corruption among the law enforcers.

I would rather wait for a higher law to take revenge against unscrupulous law enforcers and leaders. I'm sure this will happen some day so as to overturn the current rotten system.

Soenaryatmo, 60, a senior staffer with a firm in South Jakarta. He lives in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, with his wife and two children:

In general, prosecutors and judges have gone astray as we can see from their track records in handling law cases.

So, equality before the law is just an empty slogan here. Many public figures and important personages have been granted privileges and been treated as untouchables.

All persons suspected of wrongdoing, even the Attorney General, have the same rights. In this light, M.A. Rachman should be investigated before being declared guilty.

I'm sure President Megawati Soekarnoputri wants to properly handle this problem, and has the will to force him to quit his post.

I'm just sad to learn that finding a reputable and credible Attorney General now is like searching for a needle in a haystack. I guess that true law enforcers are a very rare breed indeed or have simply vanished of the face of the Earth.

Berto, 30, an employee of a firm near Blok M, South Jakarta. He resides with his brother on Jl. Fatmawati, South Jakarta:

I'm of the opinion that law enforcers do not side with low- income people as many verdicts are in favor of the senior officials or powerful, well-known companies.

This not only ignore's the public's sense of justice, it also tarnishes the image of law enforcers.

They usually bring trivial cases to court, but don't have the guts to touch serious cases involving important figures.

I don't see any commitment on the part of law enforcers here.

In the Attorney General's case, I think many other officials are corrupt, but their misdeeds have never been exposed to the public.

--Leo Wahyudi S