Government Reviews The Granting Of Mass Gracess For Drug Prisoners

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (12/10/2023). (ANTARA/Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga)

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said the government was reviewing the mass clemency of criminal criminal drug abuse cases.

"Yes, we are (studying), but it has not been discussed in the cabinet; but at the (Kemenko) Polhukam level (is) coordinating. We (Kemenkopolhukam) are planning a mass clemency," said MahfudMD at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, October 12.

Grasi is a pardon given by the president in the form of changes, easing, reducing, or abolition of criminal implementation to convicts.

Mahfud said that out of a total of 270,000 inmates of correctional institutions (prisons), 51 percent of them were involved in drug cases, causing prisons to become very crowded.

Mahfud also observed that many of the drug convicts were trapped by their colleagues or trapped by "naughty" officials in the field.

"There are also many drugs because as users, then sometimes some of them may be trapped because their friends are trapped by naughty officers, and so on. They will be investigated one by one. We will propose mass clemency," he explained.

The proposal for mass clemency will be discussed between the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs and the Supreme Court (MA).

Mahfud explained that the mass clemency was not the first time the Indonesian government had done it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joko Widodo had given mass clemency.

"There were many protests at that time, but it turned out to be effective and the person concerned, those who were given the clemency, were also fine, that's it. The time (of) COVID-19 was not allowed to be near that time, then selected. Well, it has been (given mass clemency) and we will do this for (cases) drugs," he explained.

Mahfud stressed that the government will review before implementing a policy of mass clemency. He targets the mass clemency to be completed before 2024.

"For the plan to grant mass clemency, it will be worked out before 2024 ends, it can be implemented. However, this is only now at the level of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs with the ministers. Later, once everything is ready, it will be submitted to the president for the decision of the cabinet meeting," said MahfudMD.