Not Immunized By Law, President And Former President Can Be Sued In Court

Photo Certificate: Illustration Of The Way Of Trial.(Ist)

JAKARTA - Executive Director of Indonesia Political Opinion, Dedi Kurnia Syah, emphasized that no president and former president in Indonesia is immune from legal snares.

According to him, every president or former president who is proven to have violated the laws and regulations must receive consequences in the form of legal sanctions.

Rumor bahwa presiden tidak hukum ini berlebihan, meskipun faktanya karena faktor kekuatan, mereka bisa saja menghindari sanksi hukum atas keputusan politik maupun kebijakan yang salah, ujarnya, Minggu 22 September 2024.

Rumors of the president and former president of Indonesia being above the law have been raised by legal practitioner Johan Silalahi. He revealed that there was an unwritten agreement regarding the positions of president and vice president, where these two important positions cannot be prosecuted. He admitted that he heard of an unwritten consensus in this country, that it was as if the president and vice president were above the law either while they were still in office or not.

Dedi dismissed this assumption by stating that if the president or former president is brought to court on charges of criminal acts and proven, then a criminal sentence must still be imposed by the court.

He also dismissed rumors of political elites around President Joko Widodo who were worried that the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia would be brought to justice on charges of abuse of power after not taking office.

"If you are worried about Jokowi's crafts and family, that's normal. But for elite officials, it's just a rumor. In politics, there is no permanent loyalty. Even if Jokowi is imprisoned, political elites quickly adapt and change course," explained Dedi.

However, he did not deny that during his two terms of leadership, Jokowi was considered to have carried out too many disturbing political maneuvers. For example, Jokowi released members of the political cabinet or members of his family to become high-ranking political parties and public officials," added Dedi.