Indonesia's Presidential Clemency: A Bid for National Unity

Indonesia has initiated a large-scale clemency campaign, led by President Prabowo Subianto, aiming to release hundreds of prisoners, including those on political charges, in an effort to enhance national unity. The move, reported by Al Jazeera on Saturday, follows the parliamentary endorsement of the plan's first phase.

The initial batch of 1,178 inmates was slated for release on Friday, after Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas announced the signing of a Presidential Decree by President Subianto granting amnesty.

Only two months into his presidency, Subianto, once linked to the dictatorship of Soeharto, has expressed intentions to pardon up to 44,000 prisoners, mainly for political offenses, as a conciliatory act. Law Minister Agtas emphasized that political prisoners would be prioritized, along with those with critical health conditions, the elderly, minors, and individuals charged with blasphemy or defamation.

Among those freed was Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the sole formal opposition party. Kristiyanto, a former associate now turned critic of ex-President Joko Widodo, was serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for bribery in relation to a 2019 legislative appointment. He was released from the anti-corruption agency's detention center in South Jakarta, where he had been held since February.

Upon release, Kristiyanto told an enthusiastic crowd, 'We must learn from this incident,' as per Al Jazeera. Additionally, the government halted legal actions against Tom Lembong, ex-Trade Minister and former ally of Widodo, who endorsed Anies Baswedan for the 2024 election. Lembong was sentenced to over four years for misuse of power in sugar import licensing.

Law Minister Agtas noted, 'Both Kristiyanto and Lembong have shown commitment to the country, and our focus shifts to bolstering national unity.' Further releases included six West Papuan independence activists charged with treason. Agtas confirmed plans to propose a second list of 1,668 potential releases to parliament soon.

(With inputs from agencies.)