REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SLEMAN -- An anti-corruption activist has voiced his opposition to the government's recent idea to revise regulations to ease conditions for prisoners convicted on charges of corruption to seek remission.
With regard to the government's decision to revise a regulation to give remission to inmates charged over corruption-related cases, the director of the Anti-Corruption Study Center of the state's University of Gadjahmada in Yogyakarta, Zainal Arifin, said here on Saturday that such convicts should not be granted remission easily.
"If conditions for receiving remission are relaxed, it is feared that their imprisonment will not have a deterrent effect," Arifin stated.
He added that the Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly had failed to understand the essence of government regulation number 99 of 2012 by planning to revise it to be able to give remission and parole to such convicts like other prisoners.
"The minister of justice and human rights has failed to understand the substance of the government regulation because it does not take away any rights of these prisoners," he pointed out.
The activist further noted that the government should not grant remission to convicts imprisoned for corruption charges easily, but should tighten the conditions to be eligible for it, instead.
"If conditions for remission are easily met, their imprisonment will not serve to deter others, and President Joko Widodo's commitment to fighting corruption will be questioned," Arifin remarked.
Minister Yasonna Laoly had earlier said that implementing government regulation number 99 of 2012 would mean discriminating among prisoners.
He added that convicts charged over corruption cases have the right to seek remission and parole like other convicts.
Moreover, former deputy chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Busyro Muqoddas noted that "positive discrimination" should be imposed upon such convicts.
"There are special crimes such as terrorism and corruption that need to be treated differently in positive terms," he explained in a text message received here on Friday.
According to government regulation number 99 of 2012, remission can only be given to prisoners convicted of corruption charges if they help law enforcers by becoming whistleblowers and pay the entire the amount they earned through their corrupt practices, as well as the fines imposed on them in line with the court's order.
Minister Laoly does not agree with the regulation, believing that it is discriminatory, and plans to seek to revise it.
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