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Indonesian Government Tussles Over Suharto's Fate
With additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA, Dec. 26 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri denied she took the initiative in recommending the revocation of all charges against former president Suharto, an aide said on Wednesday.
The denial shows a rift in the still young cabinet of the president, hailed as a cabinet based on patriotism and sacrifice.
Many of Indonesia's 212 million people have laid much hope on the potential of the cabinet, which is representative of almost all the political factions in the country.
Megawati's aide said the President responded to the issue raised by Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra. However, Mahendra earlier said the offer, which has angered Indonesians, was an idea from the President herself.
This is not the first time Mahendra has had a tussle with a president, the supreme commander of the country.
During the reign of deposed president Abdurrahman Wahid, Mahendra had a squabble with the latter leading to his resignation from cabinet.
Mahendra was then Minister of Law and was considered a potential vice presidential candidate in case Wahid was removed. He later desisted from the candidacy to the post of vice president, which went to Hamza Haz.
State Secretary/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo said the statement delivered by the President was to clarify earlier reports saying that the President had taken the initiative.
"The President merely asked that the proposal [for the granting of the abolition] be carefully evaluated and considered," said the minister.
The political survival of Megawati's government depends largely on its handling of the crucial issue of the Suhartos. The former ruling leader's family is regarded by many Indonesians as having hijacked the riches of the nation.
Many in Indonesia want firm action to be taken against the Suhartos, whom some consider "Public Enemy No. 1" for their role in the country after 32 years of heavy-handed military rule.
Suharto, the former head-of-state, is accused by many Indonesians of diverting billions in U.S. dollars into the family's coffers. He is also accused of severe abuses of human rights in Aceh and other parts of Indonesia.
His son, Tommy Mandala Hutomo Putra, recently arrested by Jakarta police after a year evading justice, is expected to be sent to jail soon, sources said.
Jakarta Police, in cooperation with the Jakarta Provincial Prosecutor's Office, will hold a hearing session to evaluate and formulate charges to deal with the criminal offenses allegedly committed by Tommy Mandala Putra on Wednesday.
Tommy, who was exonerated of all graft charges last October, is now being questioned in connection with a series of criminal offenses, including the July 26 murder of Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita and a series of bombing incidents in the capital this year. The decision to clear Tommy of all graft charges also angered the general public in Indonesia.
Amid claims that there will be a parody of justice in the newborn democratic system in Indonesia, Megawati's government would make a terrible mistake to grant Suharto a pardon, sources in Jakarta said.
However the position of the government is to end the controversies over the Suharto's and to carry on its mission of economic salvation of the nation, another source told IslamOnline.
The ailing Suharto is now being treated at Pertamina hospital in South Jakarta. His team of personal doctors has stated that the former president is suffering from a terminal illness, which can only be treated, not cured.
Mahendra said that based on humanitarian principles, the President can grant drop any charges against the elder Suharto. He, however, added that it would be against the mandate of the people, stipulated in the 1998 decree of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on the eradication of corruption, collusion and nepotism, known locally as KKN.
Pardoning Suharto could put Megawati's administration in a difficult position, going against the 1998 MPR decree, which clearly requires the eradication of corruption, collusion and nepotism, including that allegedly involving Suharto.
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