.jpeg&url=https://www.asianews.it/news-en/President-Prabowo-shows-clemency-to-two-political-adversaries,-paving-the-way-for-an-alliance-with-the-PDIP-63630.html&is_video=&description=President+Prabowo+shows+clemency+to+two+political+adversaries%2C+paving+the+way+for+an+alliance+with+the+PDIP)
President Prabowo shows clemency to two political adversaries, paving the way for an alliance with the PDIP
The president granted amnesty to Hasto Kristiyanto, secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), and pardoned former minister Thomas Lembong in a sign of rapprochement with the opposition. Activists and lawyers slam a dangerous precedent and accuse the president of political opportunism, while PDIP leader Megawati Soekarnoputri announces support for the administration in parliament.
.jpeg)
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's surprise decision to show clemency to two former political adversaries has outraged public opinion and civil society groups.
The move, widely seen as a way to consolidate parliamentary support and forge an alliance with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), has led to accusations of political opportunism and called into question the coherence of the legal system.
The president granted amnesty to PDIP secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto, who was sentenced last week to three and a half years in prison for bribing an election official to secure a seat for a fugitive. The measure nullifies the sentence, but not the conviction. Hasto’s civil and political rights are expected to be fully restored.
Prabowo also pardoned Thomas "Tom" Trikasih Lembong through presidential abolition, a constitutional mechanism that cancels ongoing criminal prosecutions. Unlike amnesty, this legal tool applies when someone has not yet been convicted. The former Minister of Trade under President Joko Widodo (2019–2024) was recently sentenced to three and a half years for issuing sugar import permits deemed harmful to the national interest.
The government defended the decision, presenting it as a step towards national reconciliation and political stability. But civil society groups and legal experts view it as a dangerous precedent.
“There is no legal consistency in our system,” said Koerniatmanto Soetoprawiro, a law professor at Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, speaking to AsiaNews. “In my view, this is clearly a political manoeuvre to boost the president's popularity and strengthen ties with the PDIP.”
Political analyst Wisnu Rosariastoko also criticised the president’s action. “There is no justice for ordinary citizens. When political elites and wealthy individuals are pardoned, it sends a clear message that justice serves only the powerful.”
The move had an immediate political impact. Former President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the PDIP’s long-time leader, announced that she had instructed her party’s MPs to support the Prabowo administration.
While the decision sparked widespread criticism among activists and the public, it found strong support in the country’s parliament, where the PDIP holds a decisive influence.
.png)
19/12/2022 17:58
