Too light a punishment
Too light a punishment
The Bank Bali scandal is still being investigated and in this
respect, the government does not seem to be making a serious
effort to settle this case once and for all in a just and
transparent manner. On a smaller scale, this case will be
paralleled by a case of looting of customers' premium totaling Rp
410 billion from the Military and Police Insurance (ASABRI),
alleged to have involved a high-ranking army officer (Bisnis
Indonesia, Aug. 19, 1999).
Article 372 and article 374 of the Criminal Code stipulate
that the maximum punishment to be meted out in a case like this
is five years in prison. It is not surprising, therefore, that
corruption is rampant because the punishment is very light and is
incompatible with the seriousness of the offense, and, of course,
incompatible with the losses and sufferings that the owners of
the money (the people) have to sustain. One gets the impression
that the law takes the side of corruptors.
We believe in Pancasila and do not want to violate human
rights but I think capital punishment is suitable for those
involved in corruption cases (like in Vietnam and China) in order
to discourage newcomers in this crime. We may, for example,
banish those involved in corruption to Nusa Kambangan or other
remote islands and punish the perpetrators with a life sentence.
Or, with regard to a certain amount of money, capital punishment
will be meted out. Unless serious and heavy punishment is
effected, more and more people will be encouraged to involve
themselves in corruption.
Allow me to urge our law enforcers that they should replace
the articles in the Criminal Code related to corruption cases so
that anyone will think twice before deciding to involve
themselves in corruption. In this way, we can remove slowly but
surely the corrupt mentality.
As for reporters, I would like to see them continue covering
the developments of corruption cases, particularly the ASABRI
case, to prevent these cases from being shelved.
H. WISDARMANTO GS
Jakarta