Waiting for Indonesia's court verdicts

Waiting for Indonesia's court verdicts

The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore

Indonesia should be enjoying a good run in the court of public
opinion. A clutch of court appearances involving the untouchables
is raising hopes that the government is not as timorous as
thought in wanting to sweep out venality and shore up respect for
the law.

The qualification, "should be", is a necessary safeguard. The
higher up in the establishment the enforcers reach to yank out
malfeasance and criminality, the stronger tends to be skepticism
about whether the prosecutions are substantive, a shadow play, or
mounted to douse resentment against the misbehaving "nobility".

Past experience is not encouraging. There was the questionable
police work concerning Tommy Soeharto's year-long disappearance
after a conviction for graft in September 2000. There were the
judicial surprises over the quashing of graft charges against two
persons in the Bank Bali case, and the Supreme Court's reversing
itself over Tommy Soeharto's conviction after having allowed an
appeal against his acquittal.

All that would have embarrassed President Megawati
Soekarnoputri. If it did not sting her into action, it would have
at least stayed her government's hand in not interfering with new
judicial moves. But consider what has been happening since on the
prosecutorial front.

The scene actually looks perkier. Last week, a court sentenced
Bank of Indonesia governor Syahril Sabirin to three years' jail
on a corruption charge over the 1999 Bank Bali scandal. But score
one for Indonesia, as the conviction had not been expected,
considering the release of the two chief defendants. This case,
had a web of linkages trailing to Golkar, a partner of Megawati's
loose coalition.

Tommy Soeharto's trial on a charge of conspiring in the murder
of the Supreme Court judge who convicted him on appeal, will have
the nation transfixed. It is entirely correct that the people
should peg their government's scale of probity to how this
sensational case is conducted and what comes of it.

The manner in which the son of the former president ran rings
round the enforcement agencies has become a caricature of what is
painfully remiss about key aspects of the reform effort.

But a clearer lead to the inter-play of political forces and a
clean-up of Indonesia's image will come in the prosecution of the
infamous Bulog case. On Tuesday, the head of the state relief
agency Bulog, Rahardi Ramelan, a former minister, went on trial
for misdirecting Rp 63 billion rupiah (S$11 million) meant for
poverty relief.

On Monday, parliamentary Speaker and Golkar chairman Akbar
Tandjung faces related charges of misusing Rp 40 billion of that
amount as illegal campaign finance. Megawati has a lot riding on
this case. Her government depends on Golkar's indulgence, which
could explain why her party and Golkar are stalling over the set-
up of a parliamentary commission to probe independently the Bulog
case and the Speaker's alleged involvement.

Media accounts showing a Golkar connection in the use of Bulog
funds could do the party great damage. Whatever the permutations
in domestic politics, far more pertinent is whether the process
will result in an improved standing for Indonesia
internationally. The verdict is awaited.