Supremacy of law must be upheld

Supremacy of law must be upheld

Recently we heard the news that Attorney General Andi M.
Ghalib is suspected of being involved in bribery after he and his
wife "received" money from two people who were being investigated
by the Attorney General's Office.

Apart from determining whether the news is true or not, the
controversy has caused other ramifications.

First, the credibility of Lippo Bank is declining. Second, the
commitment of President B.J. Habibie, with the mandate of the
People's Consultative Assembly to suppress corruption, collusion
and nepotism, is in doubt. Third, the credibility of Ghalib
himself is tested.

In responding to such a case, I put forward some questions:
Why was this "money transfer" exposed at a time when Ghalib was
still investigating the wealth of Soeharto in Austria and
Switzerland?

Why also should the case be exposed three days before the
polls started? Why did Lippo Bank fail to ensure the
confidentiality of its client? Is there no other government
official who gets money transferred as Ghalib did? And if there
are, why are they not under investigation? What kind of game is
being played and who is behind the game? Is it the new game of
Ghalib? Do we remember how he treated Amien Rais during their
dialog recently?

Is it a pure legal issue or political issue or both? To answer
these questions, we must reveal whatever lies behind the exposure
of the case. But this is a hard task indeed.

After all, the supremacy of law must be upheld.

ZUL ASRIL

Jakarta