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Rights defenders, victims decry MPR’s removal of Soeharto from graft decree
The People's Consultative Assembly's (MPR) move to remove former president Soeharto's name from a decree on corruption eradication is criticized as an insult to human rights victims and their families' search for justice.
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Lawmakers attend the final plenary session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) for the 2019-2024 term at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on Sept. 25, 2024. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
T
he People’s Consultative Assembly’s (MPR) decision to remove former president Soeharto’s name from a decree (TAP) on corruption has triggered concerns over attempts to absolve the authoritarian leader from alleged past crimes, which will hinder victims in receiving justice.
TAP MPR No. 11/1998, issued right after the downfall of Soeharto’s New Order regime, mandates firm and fair corruption, collusion and nepotism eradication measures for everyone, from former and current public officials to their cronies and conglomerates, “including former president Soeharto”.
The fight against graft was to be made while upholding the presumption of innocence and human rights principles, the decree added.
Prior to the MPR making the decision to remove Soeharto from the decree, Golkar Party faction chair Idris Laena had raised the suggestion of erasing the former president’s name.
The politician, whose party was the late president’s political vehicle during his 32-year presidency, cited the Attorney General’s Office’s (AGO) decision to drop all corruption charges against Soeharto in 2006 after he was declared medically unfit for trial.
MPR Speaker Bambang Soesatyo, also a Golkar member, announced on Wednesday that the request was granted. The decree would remain effective, the speaker said, but without Soeharto’s name because “he has already passed away”.
Read also: MPR reaffirms nullification of 1967 decree against Sukarno
