PUDI executives reject evidence

JAKARTA (JP): The three politicians of the unrecognized Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI) being detained for disseminating antigovernment messages through Idul Fitri greetings cards rejected evidence produced by the Attorney General's Office yesterday.

Lawyer Dwiyanto Prihartono said the investigating officials showed the party's deputy chairman Julius Usman a copy of a card containing Arabic characters and asked whether it was one of the subversive cards sent out by him and his colleagues.

"Julius rejected it, because PUDI sent out cards with writing in Latin script, not Koranic verses in Arabic characters," Dwiyanto said.

Party chairman Sri Bintang Pamungkas, Julius and fellow deputy chairman Saleh Abdullah are being questioned for sending out Idul Fitri greetings cards which called on the recipients to boycott the May 29 general election.

The cards also contained the rest of the party's agenda, namely rejecting the renomination of President Soeharto for another term of office next year and establishing a post-Soeharto political order.

The politicians have admitted to producing and sending out the cards, but they are also being investigated for drafting a constitution to replace the existing 1945 Constitution, and for other political activities.

Dwiyanto said the officials also showed Julius a copy of the draft constitution which they alleged was produced by the politicians. Julius again rejected the evidence. Dwiyanto said the one produced by the officials consisted of 139 articles, while the draft drawn up by PUDI consisted of 142 articles.

During the questioning yesterday, Julius and Saleh were represented by lawyers Dwiyanto and Hotma Timbul Hutapea. Sri Bintang Pamungkas was questioned separately; he was accompanied by lawyer Achmad Fauzan.

Dwiyanto said that even after the questioning had concluded yesterday, it was still unclear as to what the politicians were being accused of. Despite flaws in the arrest procedure he said his clients had been cooperative and willing to be questioned.

Asked about the different versions of the cards, Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Ismudjoko only said that lawyers had the right to say anything to defend their clients.

"(The cards) that we have are the real ones," he said.

In Semarang, Central Java, Muladi, a legal expert at Diponegoro University said Bintang's public statements had left him a sitting duck waiting for the government to shoot him with subversion charges.

Under Indonesian law, subversion carries a maximum penalty of death.

"Bintang's statements were legally self-incriminating, despite the fact that, according to logic, they were fit to be seen as calls for greater democratization," he said.

"His statements calling for people to boycott the general election have undermined the government's authority, but one should be free to express one's beliefs," he said. (05/har/aan)