JAKARTA - Former Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong or Tom Lembong asked President Prabowo Subianto and his entourage to stop criminalizing business actors and professionals. According to him, law enforcement is a requirement to save the national economy, which is currently under pressure.
This was conveyed by Tom when attending the dissemination of the examination of the case of Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza entitled 'Breaking the Criminal Limits of Corruption Crimes in Business Decisions' which was held by the Law and Justice System Research Institute of the University of Indonesia (UI), Tuesday, May 26.
"The rampant professional criminalization has become a macroeconomic risk in my opinion," said Tom, quoted Wednesday, May 27.
Tom said this condition has an impact on the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate and pressure on the Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG).
"Why the rupiah is falling freely, why the stock price index is falling freely, yes, among other things because of the negative impact on market sentiment and also investor sentiment due to the criminalization of the best sons and daughters of the nation, whether it is Pertamina executives, whether it is other SOEs executives," he said.
Tom, on that occasion, highlighted the legal conditions in the country which made investors and business actors afraid to make business decisions because they feared it would end in legal problems. He delivered his assessment amid the spotlight on the alleged corruption case in the management of crude oil and refinery products that ensnared the beneficial owner of PT Navigator Khatulistiwa, Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza.
So, Tom asked Prabowo to immediately improve the practice of law enforcement which was considered excessive against business decisions. "Without that, don't expect the economy to survive," he said.
Tom agreed that the improvement did not necessarily make the national economy immediately recover. However, the pressure on the economy will be heavier if Prabowo does not pay attention.
"Even if it is improved, it will not guarantee that we can save the economy, but if it is not improved, I guarantee that the rupiah will continue to weaken, yes, investor confidence will continue to decline with very large impacts on the economy," he concluded.
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