Coordinating Minister Yusril: The Government Formulates Komcad As A Condition For Amnesty

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction Yusril Ihza Mahendra/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that the government would formulate the obligation to participate in the reserve component program (komcad) for productive-age inmates to obtain amnesty from President Prabowo Subianto.

"Komcad is not mandatory for other citizens, but if the President says 'who will be willing to be trained as a Komcad, given amnesty', we can. We will formulate that later," said Yusril as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, December 20.

President Prabowo, continued Yusril, is of the opinion that narcotics convicts who become users should be rehabilitated, not sentenced to prison.

Therefore, the President wants to grant amnesty to the convict in question. Yusril explained that amnesty is different from clemency. Granting amnesty has certain conditions, including one of the requirements for participating in the Komcad program, while clemency is fully the prerogative of the president.

Yusril said the Komcad requirements would later be given to convicts of narcotics cases who were still of productive age.

The prisoners who are granted amnesty can participate in the Komcad program and be distributed to assist government programs.

In addition, Yusril said that narcotics convicts of productive age who were granted amnesty and participated in the Komcad were not a militaristic policy, but a military way or a settlement of something in military ways.

"These children, who are young, are trained in discipline, rows, all kinds of things, and then deployed to areas that are currently government programs. The government wants to self-sufficiency in food and that opens plantations in Papua and Kalimantan, those who have been trained by the Komcad can be deployed there, if they are interested," said Yusril.

Coordinating Minister Yusril said that most of the 44 thousand prisoners who would be granted amnesty by President Prabowo were narcotics users, while corruption convicts were only a small part.

"There are only how many thousand corruptions, the most narcotics," he said.

The plan to grant amnesty to 44,000 prisoners was conveyed to the public after a limited meeting of a number of ministers of the Red and White Cabinet at the Presidential Palace, Friday (13/12).

Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas said prisoners who were granted amnesty were encouraged to be involved in the Komcad program.

"If later it is considered that they can be released, the President recommends that they be able to participate in reserve components for those who are of productive age," he said.