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The week in review: Executions and Tommy Soeharto
JP/Bambang MuryantoWhile President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo was still busy hosting the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Jakarta, Attorney General M
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JP/Bambang Muryanto
While President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo was still busy hosting the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in Jakarta, Attorney General M. Prasetyo announced Wednesday that all preparations had been made for the executions of 10 death row inmates, and that all would face the firing squad after conference delegates left Indonesia.
There was no explanation on why the attorney general opted to talk to the media about the executions while foreign leaders, including Philippines Vice President Jejomar Binay, were still in the country. The Philippines guest reportedly attended the summit in part to make a last-minute effort to save Philippine citizen Mary Jane Veloso, one of the death row convicts, from execution.
He also hoped to meet with the Filipina woman to offer words of comfort. The Philippines are reportedly one of the world's strongest governments in terms of defending citizens facing legal problems overseas.
Only the attorney general knows why he did not refrain from embarrassing Binay and his own president. Was it ignorance, coincidence, or a well-planned show of power?
French President Francois Hollande has warned Jokowi about the consequences of executing French citizen Serge Atlaoui. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott have also released strongly worded appeals to Jokowi to pardon their citizens. Their appeals have failed to persuade Jokowi, who has rejected all appeals for clemency for the convicts.
One thing the President needs to remember is that he will meet these three leaders in Istanbul in November this year during the G20 Leaders summit. The President must not isolate himself at the summit.
Last week, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi issued a protest to Saudi Arabia, not just for executing two Indonesian migrant workers who had been convicted of murder, but also for not giving Indonesia advance warning.
Some labor and human rights activists have demanded the government ask Riyadh to withdraw its ambassador, Mustafa Ibrahim al-Mubarak, from Jakarta. Riyadh responded by saying it had no obligation to inform Indonesia about the executions.
The President and his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, had sent letters of appeal to save the two women, but to no avail.
When Indonesia decides to be firm on its execution policy, the government should exhibit understanding when the same policy is applied to Indonesian citizens.
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On Friday, Jokowi officially closed the Asian-African Conference Commemoration (AACC) in Bandung, West Java. He won praise from many parties, including from House of Representatives members, politicians and from his own party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), for his strong statement criticizing the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). However, such popularity will be short-lived because in the end people will realize nothing has been changed by his speech.
However, given his minimal level of experience and knowledge on foreign affairs, the President deserves our respect for his solid performance as summit host. On substance, the summit did not mean much, but diplomacy is not always just a matter of short-term concrete results.
On the sidelines of the conference on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a bilateral meeting. Relations between the two countries have been strained over an ongoing territorial dispute in the East China Sea. The nearly half-hour talk will hopefully help reduce tension and increase trust between the two leaders.
Through his Twitter account @HutomoMP_9, Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandala Putra expressed outrage over Yorrys Ra-
weyai's use of violence to occupy Golkar Party headquarters in West Jakarta and the party's faction office at the House of Representatives. Agung Laksono and Aburizal Bakrie each claim to be the legitimate chairman of the party, which was established by Tommy's father, Soeharto, who ruled Indonesia for 32 years until his fall in May 1998. Yorrys is a supporter of Agung.
Tommy, who was imprisoned for murdering a judge, warned Yorrys, 'I too have a violent side, if you want to play violent, so it's better not to mess around.'
Tommy's sister, Siti 'Titiek' Hediati Hariyadi, was a member of the central board of Aburizal's camp. She is a Golkar legislator and the former wife of Prabowo Subianto, who lost to Jokowi in last year's presidential election.
Titiek openly expressed the interest of Soeharto's children to become more involved in Golkar affairs. 'There is an urgent need for the Soeharto family to return and save the party,' Titiek said on Thursday.
'Supporters in the regions have demanded the Soeharto family, particularly Tommy, take over the party amid the infighting,' Titiek claimed.
Born on July 15, 1962, Tommy was Soeharto's youngest son. He took control of a vast collection of businesses during Soeharto's rule. Many believe that Soeharto's six children have since scaled-back their operations, but in financial terms, they have apparently been unaffected by their father's fall.
Both Aburizal and Agung need more money to finance their battle. Tommy and his siblings are a possible source of funds. Will Tommy be able to take over Golkar Party leadership? For a while at least, the possibility is slim.
' Kornelius Purba
