Supremacy of law

Supremacy of law obliterated

From Rakyat Merdeka

The central management board of the Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI) regrets the recent decision of the Supreme Court, which cleared Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra from the earlier 18-month imprisonment sentence imposed by the late justice M. Syaifuddin Kartasasmita.

Such a decision may signal the decline of law enforcement in Indonesia, as stated by President Megawati Soekarnoputri. Supremacy of the law, yearned for by many, has been obliterated by the Supreme Court's ruling.

In our assessment, this can negatively affect the authority of the President in the eyes of the public.

We would also like to state that it is no longer a secret that the Cendana family in general and Tommy in particular have been involved in graft during the 32-year tenure of former president Soeharto. We believe that the Cendana family, along with their cronies, are very astute in money laundering and concealing evidence.

The Supreme Court's ruling will definitely also affect the upholding of justice in other corruptors' cases.

The central management board of SBSI requests President Megawati Soekarnoputri to immediately annul the Supreme Court's decision, as it can result in the erosion of the people's confidence in the President.

ANDY WILLIAM S.

Public Relations of DPP SBSI

Tangerang, Banten