Indonesia's Govt Urged Not to Pardon Corruptors

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - Muhammadiyah Chairman Din Syamsuddin here Friday urged the government not to give remissions or pardon to convicted corruptors.

"The government must be sensitive to and consider its people’s sufferings. Don’t touch the people’s sense of justice," he said in response to the release of some convicted corruptors.

Speaking to newsmen after paying a courtesy visit on Vice President Boediono here, he said the government need to be careful in giving remissions or pardon convicted corruptors.

Providing convicted corruptors a remission or pardon was the president’s prerogative right but he should also consider the people’s sensitivity, Syamsuddin said. Indonesian people had considered corruption as an extraordinary crime against the state and nation.

"At the moment, our people undergo such economic difficulties as skyrocketing prices of staple food," he said.

A lot of ordinary Indonesians struggled for meeting their daily needs a head to the Eidul Fitri festivities in September. One of the convicted corruptors who had enjoyed a remission and pardon from the Indonesian president was Syaukani Hassan Rais.

The ailing former head of Kutai Kertanegara district, East Kalimantan Province, had been released. The House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Marzuki Alie defended President Yudhoyono’s pardon for Syaukani.

According to this former secretary general of ruling Democrat Party (PD), the president’s pardon was given for humanitarian reason. However, he said that death penalty was the right punishment for corruptors in Indonesia.

"The firm punishment for corruptors is death penalty. We need a firm law enforcement," he told newsmen here.

He said the release of Saukani was based on humanitarian consideration.

"Syaukani has been getting a serious ailment with which he cannot be punished. He cannot see normally and has been paralyzed with dysfunctional memory."

"With this condition, who will take care of him during his imprisonment term?" Marzuki Alie said.

Syaukani himself no more felt the impact of punishment for the heavy crimes that he had committed due to his current physical condition.

Source : kompas

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