Questionable timing of executions

Learning that Ayodhya Prasadh Chaubey was the first drug trafficker who has been executed in over a decade and the first convict executed during the last three years, I cannot help but become suspicious that President Megawati Soekarnoputri's rejection of his clemency appeal was purely politically motivated ahead of the Sept. 20 presidential election.

To take drug traffickers severely to task in order to protect young people from narcotics is most laudable. But demonstrating toughness only ahead of the September runoff is most questionable. President Megawati, currently fighting for reelection, seems to be of the opinion that the execution of a drug trafficker will impress the voters to cast their votes in her favor.

The appeals of two convicted Thai drug traffickers for clemency were also rejected by the President. Does this mean that there will be two more announcements of executions shortly? This would surely reinforce the suspicion that Megawati's rejection of the clemency appeals was "a political commodity ahead of the September runoff", as expressed by Hendardi, the director of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 7).

Showing toughness with minor players in the dirty drug business is an easy game. But, "Big-time drug syndicates remain out of reach" (Post, Aug. 9). Therefore, I couldn't agree more with the writer of the excellent editorial titled Chaubey and the drug war, who wrote: "We have rarely seen major drug lords brought to justice." (Post, Aug. 7) Too true, not only for Indonesia but for all countries around the world.

Why? Because wherever and whenever so much money is involved -- we are talking billions of U.S. dollars here -- such business can only flourish with powerful protection. That applies for corruptors, too.

And here the question arises: Why didn't President Megawati show equal toughness with some of the most famous corruptors during her three years in office? Wouldn't that have impressed the Indonesian people much more than the execution of an ill- fated old convict, whose crime could have been punished by life imprisonment?

HILDE MAY, Jakarta