The 'Orange Vest' Should Not Pass

Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly (Instagram / @ kemenkumham)

JAKARTA - Minister of Law and Human Rights (Menkum HAM) Yasonna Laoly is in the spotlight. In the midst of this disaster, he plans to revise Government Regulation (PP) No. 99/2012 so that corruption convicts 'orange vests' can be released. The reason is to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in prisons.

Despite the constant criticism, Yasonna stated that he would still submit a revision of Government Regulation Number 99 of 2012 concerning Terms and Procedures for the Implementation of the Rights of the Correctional Assistants. However, he denied that he would release prisoners in cases of corruption or other special crimes, such as prisoners in drug cases.

"It is said that I want to pass drug convicts and corruption cases. As circulated some time ago in the mass media, this is not true," said Yasonna, quoted by VOI from his written statement, Sunday, April 5.

According to him, prisoners who have the right to assimilation and integration are children who have served half of their sentence and adults who have served 2/3 of their sentences, including corrupt convicts. This means that he argued that Yasonna himself denied it.

This is because, in fact, Yasonna will still provide a free way for corrupt convicts who have served 2/3 of their sentence and corruptors who are over 60 years old. "Humanitarian considerations, over 60 years of age. This is because the body's immune system is weak. It's also not easy to get free," he explained.

People's aspirations, he said

Yasonna, in that statement also asked the public not to be noisy, because until now there has been no further discussion about the revision. "That's just a suggestion and the President could not agree with it," he said.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD also spoke up about the polemic caused by Yasonna's remarks during a hearing with Commission III DPR RI. Until now, said Mahfud, the government had not planned or revised the regulation.

"There are no plans to give remissions or parole to the perpetrators or to corruption convicts as well as to terrorists. Nor is there any against drug dealers," Mahfud said in his statement.

Mahfud then explained that there were two reasons for the government not planning to revise the regulation. First, said Mahfud, the PP has a special character as a differentiator from other criminal acts. Second, the space in the correctional facility is quite wide. So that it meets the requirements for physical distancing or maintaining a distance.

"In fact, being isolated there is better than at home," said Mahfud.

Although he did not plan to revise the PP, the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) argued that the proposal for the release of prisoners did not come suddenly from the government or Menkumham Yasonna. According to him, this proposal came from the aspirations of the community.

"It is spread outside, it is possible because there are aspirations of the community which are conveyed to the Menkumham. Then the Menkumham informs that there is a request from some people for that," he explained.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

I don't know which society Mahfud means. This is because most people now refuse to do so. As stated by the Executive Director of the Indonesia Political Review, Ujang Komarudin, who saw Yasonna's statement regarding the release of corruptor convicts as a blunder that caused the community to become noisy.

In Ujang's eyes, in the midst of this pandemic, perhaps Yasonna really had the intention of avoiding transmission of the virus in the detention center. However, according to Ujang, Yasonna should have understood how heinous the crime of corruption was and why the public was rowdy at the discourse on the revision of PP No. 90/2012 to free old corrupt convicts.

"What Yasonna did, namely to free corrupt convicts, was an act of blunder. He might want to free corrupt convicts like him freeing 30 thousand other prisoners, but we know that corruption is a white collar crime that destroys the poor and this nation," said Ujang. short message.

Stay tuned

Instead of making statements like this, he said, Menkumham and other ministers must make policies that suit the needs of the community. "Don't even benefit the corruptors. Make the best policies for the people and the country, surely the people will support it," he said.

Regarding Mahfud's statement saying that there would be no discussion regarding the revision, this political observer said the public must remain vigilant and supervise the running of the government. Moreover, the government, starting from the President to his ministers, often takes policies that are the opposite of what they say.

"The public will not just believe what the government says, because we know that the information that comes from the government often varies," said Ujang.

A similar statement was also made by the Executive Director of the Indonesia Political Opinion (IPO) Dedi Kurni Syah. He said, using the COVID-19 outbreak as an excuse to free corrupt convicts is an act that cannot be justified.

"As well as being opposed to the president's program for social distancing, he also has the potential to betray state laws related to corruption eradication," said Dedi.

Dedi also considered that recently, the attitude shown by Yasonna was increasingly opposed to the spirit of eradicating corruption. This was evident when he intervened in the bribery case that ensnared PDIP candidate Harun Masiku and former KPU commissioner Wahyu Setiawan.

In this situation, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as the party who claims to be anti-corruption must take a stand. Remove Yasonna, if necessary. "If the president really has a commitment to eradicating corruption, the most prominent step at this time is to stop Yasonna Laoly as Menkumham," he said.

Number of corrupt convicts

Regarding the number of convicts in corruption cases who are over 60 years old, based on data records from the Sukamiskin Penitentiary, Bandung, West Java, the number has now reached 90 people. Among them, who have served 2/3 of their sentences as of December 31, 2020, there are 64. The corruptors, among them are former ESDM Minister Jero Wacik and senior lawyer OC Kaligis.

Meanwhile, according to data from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), there are 22 thieves who could potentially be free if this revision is implemented. They are former General Chairperson of the Golkar Party as well as former Chairman of the Indonesian Parliament Setya Novanto, OC Kaligis (77); former Minister of Religion, Suryadharma Ali (63); former Minister of Health, Siti Fadilah Supari (70); former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Jero Wacik (70); former Justice of the Constitutional Court, Patrialis Akbar (61).

Then, lawyer Fredrich Yunadi (70); former Judge Adhoc Corruption, Ramlan Comel (69); former Mayor of Bandung, Dada Rosada (72); former Governor of Riau, Zainal Rizal (62); former Governor of Papua, Barnabas Suebu (73); former Madiun Mayor, Bambang Irianto (69); former Regent of Batubara, OK Arya Zulkarnaen (63); former Mayor of Mojokerto, Masud Yunus (68).

Furthermore, the former Regent of Subang, Imas Aryumningsih (68); former Regent of South Bengkulu, Dirwan Mahmud (60); and former Mayor of Pasuruan, Setiyono (64), former member of DPR RI Budi Supriyanto (60); Amin Santono (70); and Dewi Yasin Limpo (60).

Next, apart from the political elite, there are also businessmen, namely the Operations Director of the Lippo Group, Billy Sindoro (60) and the shareholder of Blackgold Natural Resources, Johannes Budisutrisno Kotjo (69).