Soeharto's trial

Soeharto's trial

From Rakyat Merdeka

Observing the process of Soeharto's trial on Aug. 31 at the
Ministry of Agriculture's auditorium, South Jakarta, as an
ordinary citizen I was deeply disappointed because at a time when
people want the supremacy of the law to be established, the
presiding judge Lalu Mariyun didn't assert any pronouncement to
take decision as a judge. I've closely observed the presiding
judge still emphasizing the suspect's privileges and legal
formalities.
1. The presiding judge directly accepted the medical certificate
of July, 2000 which was read out unchallenged by the accused's
legal team.
2. When the prosecutor demanded that an independent medical
certificate be produced, the judge only said he would consider
the matter.

In such a situation, I am of the opinion the judges and the
legal team should not have exaggerated the accused's rights, but
should also have stipulated the obligations of the legal team if
the public prosecutor's demand is not complied with. Otherwise,
this trial will only be a charade. The doctor's certificate
should be in the form of a legalized proof, not just a surat
sakti ("magic letter").

As I'm convinced and believe that as the disease chronology
is couched in medical jargon, the legal team itself will not
understand it. For this purpose the legal team should respect the
prosecutor's demand, as an independent team of doctors would be
more relevant in verifying the truthfulness of the accused's
illness and the accused's inability to be present. In this case
the legal team should be requested not to always harp on about
its client's human rights and ignore the public prosecutor's
duty, thereby neglecting legal compliance and procedure.

So, in the coming session, those concerned are hereby
requested to act professionally, and this is very important to
prove their image to the millions of people observing and
listening to the trial process. Here we are talking about the
facts in the field, where the accused gives the impression of
wanting to avoid legal compliance. But that doesn't mean that
what is expressed here is the same as the thinking described in a
interview with Budiman (Chairman of People's Democratic Party). I
agree with and fully support the public prosecutor's demands.

UNDANG SURYADI MAYA

Bandung