T

he recent trial of a grandmother who attempted to steal cacao pods has apparently been an eye opener that in Indonesia the full force of the law falls upon the poor, and sometimes for very minor offences, while rich, bad guys remain at large.

"This particular case draws my deepest sympathy and concern," Bambang Soesatyo, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal and security affairs, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

"We should really start implementing justice toward everyone and not just against the have-nots."

Bambang, who represents the Golkar Party, said thorough and simultaneous bureaucratic reform of the National Police and the Attorney General's Office was a must because these ironic realities on law enforcement often stemmed from these two legal enforcement agencies.

"We must re-educate them, and reinvent their mind set so they act properly and only for the need to uphold justice," he said.

"I know it may sound a bit ridiculous but considering what we have achieved with the Corruption Eradication Commission *KPK*, I think we might give this a try."

Minah, a 55-year old grandmother, was sentenced to a one-and-a-half-month suspended jail-term by the Purwokerto District Court in Central Java as she pleaded guilty to stealing three cacao pods worth Rp 1,500 (15 US cents).

The panel of judges suspended her jail term for three months meaning she would only be sent to jail if she repeated the crime within three months.

A law expert from Gadjah Mada University, Eddy Hiariej, underlined that the probation sentence meant the panel of judges had shown their sense of leniency and therefore there was nothing wrong with the outcome of the case.

"That there are still many rich, bad guys who steal trillions of rupiah of tax payers' money and remain at large, is a different case," he said.

"But I see that there is no violation in the case against Minah."

This year alone, there have been at least six other cases similar to what has happened to Minah.

Among those cases was that of Amir Machmud, a former driver at the National Narcotic Agency.

Amir was sentenced to four months in prison as the panel of judges rapidly found him guilty of possession of one ecstasy pill.

However, the integrity of the judges' decision was then questioned as the whole hearing only lasted less than one hour.

Before the Minah and Amir cases, six children in Magetan, East Java were detained by the police and then brought to court as the police presented evidence leading to them being found guilty of stealing six corn cobs from their neighbor's corn field in Magetan, East Java.

Bambang said many corruptors were still on the loose, while powerless people had to face the consequences of petty crimes.

A number of graft suspects managed to escape the law by slipping out of the country, possibly with the help of corrupt officials.