US hands over Indonesian banker to face jail

JAKARTA: An Indonesian banker sentenced to eight years in jail over a 136 million dollars graft case has been handed over to Jakarta by the United States, police said today.

Indonesian authorities had been looking for David Nusa Wijaya, a former director of a small bank that took a government bailout during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, since a court sentenced him in 2003.

Indonesia police chief General Sutanto told reporters Wijaya fled Indonesia in 2004 to live in Singapore but recently faced immigration problems in San Francisco.

Misuse of emergency funds involving the bank, PT Bank Umum Servitia, cost Indonesia 136 million dollars in losses, officials said.

''The first option was for him to go through a legal process in the U S while the second was voluntarily serving time in Indonesia.

He chose the latter,'' Sutanto said, adding Indonesian police had worked with Interpol and American investigators.

Penangkapan David Nusa Widjaya

Sekali-sekali bolehlah kita memberi salut kepada polisi yang berhasil meringkus David Nusa Widjaya, koruptor yang buron ke luar negeri. Inilah untuk pertama kalinya seorang buron kakap, terpidana kasus korupsi bantuan likuiditas Bank Indonesia yang merugikan negara lebih dari Rp 1,2 triliun, ditangkap. Diharapkan sejumlah nama pengemplang kredit Bank Indonesia yang sudah divonis bersalah tapi menjadi buron bisa segera ditangkap, setidak-tidaknya diketahui tempat persembunyiannya.

David divonis Pengadilan Negeri Jakarta Barat satu tahun penjara pada 2001. Setelah dia sempat ditahan Kejaksaan Agung selama sebulan, hakim menangguhkan penahanannya. Pada Mei 2002, David diketahui lenyap dari Jakarta. Dia dinyatakan buron sebulan kemudian. Tim Pemburu Koruptor pimpinan Basrief Arief yang dibentuk pada Februari 2005, dibantu Biro Penyelidik Federal AS, harus melacaknya selama berbulan-bulan sebelum mencium jejak David di Amerika Serikat.

Gebrakan Tim Pemburu Koruptor ini seakan melempar sinyal kepada mereka yang masih jadi buron: ketimbang terus berlari-lari dengan rasa cemas di luar negeri, lebih baik menyerahkan diri. Seperti yang dikatakan Kepala Kepolisian RI Jenderal Sutanto, daripada hidup di luar negeri tidak tenang dan banyak masalah hukum, pulanglah dan menyerahlah. Tim Pemburu Koruptor juga sudah mencanangkan akan menangkap 13 koruptor kakap yang diketahui sekarang berada di luar negeri.

Usaha Tim Pemburu Koruptor perlu didukung dengan usaha diplomatik untuk memperluas kerja sama dengan negara yang diduga menjadi tempat bersembunyi para buron itu. Perjanjian ekstradisi dengan Singapura, misalnya, perlu dipercepat realisasinya. Selama ini sudah ada beberapa kali pembicaraan dengan pihak Singapura. Akan sangat membantu apabila perjanjian ekstradisi itu bisa segera dirampungkan. Dengan pemerintah yang lebih serius memberantas korupsi, tentu pihak Singapura lebih "bersemangat" menyelesaikan perjanjian ekstradisi itu.

Bantuan juga akan datang dari berbagai negara jika pemerintah Indonesia tetap konsisten dengan usaha pemberantasan korupsi ini. Selain dari pemerintah Amerika Serikat, bantuan yang sama diharapkan datang dari negara yang ditengarai menjadi "rumah" yang nyaman bagi para koruptor.

Yang tak kalah penting adalah membenahi aparat penegak hukum, terutama mereka yang punya kuasa menahan atau membebaskan para buron ini. Kita tentu belum lupa bagaimana Eddy Tansil diloloskan oleh para penjaga penjara dan lari entah ke mana sampai hari ini. Ada beberapa nama yang juga diloloskan dengan berbagai cara. Para penjaga serta pejabat yang bertanggung jawab semestinya juga diusut dan diperkarakan.

Akan sangat konyol bila Tim Pemburu Koruptor melanglang buana menangkapi mereka yang bersalah, tapi di sisi lain ada aparat yang makan suap dan diam-diam memberikan jalan agar mereka yang bersalah lari ke luar negeri. Mereka yang meloloskan itu juga harus dihukum berat.

Diterbitkan di Koran Tempo, 19 Januari 2006

Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam

Muslims and non-Muslims must unite to defeat the Wahhabi ideology.
BY ABDURRAHMAN WAHID

JAKARTA--News organizations report that Osama bin Laden has obtained a religious edict from a misguided Saudi cleric, justifying the use of nuclear weapons against America and the infliction of mass casualties. It requires great emotional strength to confront the potential ramifications of this fact. Yet can anyone doubt that those who joyfully incinerate the occupants of office buildings, commuter trains, hotels and nightclubs would leap at the chance to magnify their damage a thousandfold?

Imagine the impact of a single nuclear bomb detonated in New York, London, Paris, Sydney or L.A.! What about two or three? The entire edifice of modern civilization is built on economic and technological foundations that terrorists hope to collapse with nuclear attacks like so many fishing huts in the wake of a tsunami.

Just two small, well-placed bombs devastated Bali's tourist economy in 2002 and sent much of its population back to the rice fields and out to sea, to fill their empty bellies. What would be the effect of a global economic crisis in the wake of attacks far more devastating than those of Bali or 9/11?

It is time for people of good will from every faith and nation to recognize that a terrible danger threatens humanity. We cannot afford to continue "business as usual" in the face of this existential threat. Rather, we must set aside our international and partisan bickering, and join to confront the danger that lies before us.

An extreme and perverse ideology in the minds of fanatics is what directly threatens us (specifically, Wahhabi/Salafi ideology--a minority fundamentalist religious cult fueled by petrodollars). Yet underlying, enabling and exacerbating this threat of religious extremism is a global crisis of misunderstanding.

All too many Muslims fail to grasp Islam, which teaches one to be lenient towards others and to understand their value systems, knowing that these are tolerated by Islam as a religion. The essence of Islam is encapsulated in the words of the Quran, "For you, your religion; for me, my religion." That is the essence of tolerance. Religious fanatics--either purposely or out of ignorance--pervert Islam into a dogma of intolerance, hatred and bloodshed. They justify their brutality with slogans such as "Islam is above everything else." They seek to intimidate and subdue anyone who does not share their extremist views, regardless of nationality or religion. While a few are quick to shed blood themselves, countless millions of others sympathize with their violent actions, or join in the complicity of silence.

This crisis of misunderstanding--of Islam by Muslims themselves--is compounded by the failure of governments, people of other faiths, and the majority of well-intentioned Muslims to resist, isolate and discredit this dangerous ideology. The crisis thus afflicts Muslims and non-Muslims alike, with tragic consequences. Failure to understand the true nature of Islam permits the continued radicalization of Muslims world-wide, while blinding the rest of humanity to a solution which hides in plain sight.

The most effective way to overcome Islamist extremism is to explain what Islam truly is to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Without that explanation, people will tend to accept the unrefuted extremist view--further radicalizing Muslims, and turning the rest of the world against Islam itself.

Accomplishing this task will be neither quick nor easy. In recent decades, Wahhabi/Salafi ideology has made substantial inroads throughout the Muslim world. Islamic fundamentalism has become a well-financed, multifaceted global movement that operates like a juggernaut in much of the developing world, and even among immigrant Muslim communities in the West. To neutralize the virulent ideology that underlies fundamentalist terrorism and threatens the very foundations of modern civilization, we must identify its advocates, understand their goals and strategies, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and effectively counter their every move. What we are talking about is nothing less than a global struggle for the soul of Islam.

The Sunni (as opposed to Shiite) fundamentalists' goals generally include: claiming to restore the perfection of the early Islam practiced by Muhammad and his companions, who are known in Arabic as al-Salaf al-Salih, "the Righteous Ancestors"; establishing a utopian society based on these Salafi principles, by imposing their interpretation of Islamic law on all members of society; annihilating local variants of Islam in the name of authenticity and purity; transforming Islam from a personal faith into an authoritarian political system; establishing a pan-Islamic caliphate governed according to the strict tenets of Salafi Islam, and often conceived as stretching from Morocco to Indonesia and the Philippines; and, ultimately, bringing the entire world under the sway of their extremist ideology.

Fundamentalist strategy is often simple as well as brilliant. Extremists are quick to drape themselves in the mantle of Islam and declare their opponents kafir, or infidels, and thus smooth the way for slaughtering nonfundamentalist Muslims. Their theology rests upon a simplistic, literal and highly selective reading of the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic traditions), through which they seek to entrap the world-wide Muslim community in the confines of their narrow ideological grasp. Expansionist by nature, most fundamentalist groups constantly probe for weakness and an opportunity to strike, at any time or place, to further their authoritarian goals.

The armed ghazis (Islamic warriors) raiding from New York to Jakarta, Istanbul, Baghdad, London and Madrid are only the tip of the iceberg, forerunners of a vast and growing population that shares their radical views and ultimate objectives. The formidable strengths of this worldwide fundamentalist movement include:

1) An aggressive program with clear ideological and political goals; 2) immense funding from oil-rich Wahhabi sponsors; 3) the ability to distribute funds in impoverished areas to buy loyalty and power; 4) a claim to and aura of religious authenticity and Arab prestige; 5) an appeal to Islamic identity, pride and history; 6) an ability to blend into the much larger traditionalist masses and blur the distinction between moderate Islam and their brand of religious extremism; 7) full-time commitment by its agents/leadership; 8) networks of Islamic schools that propagate extremism; 9) the absence of organized opposition in the Islamic world; 10) a global network of fundamentalist imams who guide their flocks to extremism; 11) a well-oiled "machine" established to translate, publish and distribute Wahhabi/Salafi propaganda and disseminate its ideology throughout the world; 12) scholarships for locals to study in Saudi Arabia and return with degrees and indoctrination, to serve as future leaders; 13) the ability to cross national and cultural borders in the name of religion; 14) Internet communication; and 15) the reluctance of many national governments to supervise or control this entire process.

We must employ effective strategies to counter each of these fundamentalist strengths. This can be accomplished only by bringing the combined weight of the vast majority of peace-loving Muslims, and the non-Muslim world, to bear in a coordinated global campaign whose goal is to resolve the crisis of misunderstanding that threatens to engulf our entire world.

An effective counterstrategy must be based upon a realistic assessment of our own strengths and weaknesses in the face of religious extremism and terror. Disunity, of course, has proved fatal to countless human societies faced with a similar existential threat. A lack of seriousness in confronting the imminent danger is likewise often fatal. Those who seek to promote a peaceful and tolerant understanding of Islam must overcome the paralyzing effects of inertia, and harness a number of actual or potential strengths, which can play a key role in neutralizing fundamentalist ideology. These strengths not only are assets in the struggle with religious extremism, but in their mirror form they point to the weakness at the heart of fundamentalist ideology. They are:

1) Human dignity, which demands freedom of conscience and rejects the forced imposition of religious views; 2) the ability to mobilize immense resources to bring to bear on this problem, once it is identified and a global commitment is made to solve it; 3) the ability to leverage resources by supporting individuals and organizations that truly embrace a peaceful and tolerant Islam; 4) nearly 1,400 years of Islamic traditions and spirituality, which are inimical to fundamentalist ideology; 5) appeals to local and national--as well as Islamic--culture/traditions/pride; 6) the power of the feminine spirit, and the fact that half of humanity consists of women, who have an inherent stake in the outcome of this struggle; 7) traditional and Sufi leadership and masses, who are not yet radicalized (strong numeric advantage: 85% to 90% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims); 8) the ability to harness networks of Islamic schools to propagate a peaceful and tolerant Islam; 9) the natural tendency of like-minded people to work together when alerted to a common danger; 10) the ability to form a global network of like-minded individuals, organizations and opinion leaders to promote moderate and progressive ideas throughout the Muslim world; 11) the existence of a counterideology, in the form of traditional, Sufi and modern Islamic teachings, and the ability to translate such works into key languages; 12) the benefits of modernity, for all its flaws, and the widespread appeal of popular culture; 13) the ability to cross national and cultural borders in the name of religion; 14) Internet communications, to disseminate progressive views--linking and inspiring like-minded individuals and organizations throughout the world; 15) the nation-state; and 16) the universal human desire for freedom, justice and a better life for oneself and loved ones.

Though potentially decisive, most of these advantages remain latent or diffuse, and require mobilization to be effective in confronting fundamentalist ideology. In addition, no effort to defeat religious extremism can succeed without ultimately cutting off the flow of petrodollars used to finance that extremism, from Leeds to Jakarta.

Only by recognizing the problem, putting an end to the bickering within and between nation-states, and adopting a coherent long-term plan (executed with international leadership and commitment) can we begin to apply the brakes to the rampant spread of extremist ideas and hope to resolve the world's crisis of misunderstanding before the global economy and modern civilization itself begin to crumble in the face of truly devastating attacks.

Muslims themselves can and must propagate an understanding of the "right" Islam, and thereby discredit extremist ideology. Yet to accomplish this task requires the understanding and support of like-minded individuals, organizations and governments throughout the world. Our goal must be to illuminate the hearts and minds of humanity, and offer a compelling alternate vision of Islam, one that banishes the fanatical ideology of hatred to the darkness from which it emerged.

Mr. Wahid, former president of Indonesia, is patron and senior advisor to the LibForAll Foundation (www.libforall.org), an Indonesian and U.S.-based nonprofit that works to reduce religious extremism and discredit the use of terrorism.

Hope fades for landslide victims in Indonesia, more than 210 feared dead

CIJERUK, Indonesia -- Search and rescue workers raced Friday to reach victims of landslides that buried several Indonesian villages beneath tons of mud and rocks, but hopes of finding survivors were fading. More than 210 people were missing or feared dead.

Relatives looked on anxiously as bodies were pulled from the rubble days after pounding rain on the main island of Java unleashed landslides in Cijeruk and Jember, divided by hundreds of kilometers of mountainous terrain.

So far 149 corpses have been found, many of them bloated or decayed, and rescuers said they may have to halt their search in the next 24 hours.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with thousands of people left homeless by the disaster in Jember, stopping to talk to grieving mothers and children, and promising government assistance in rebuilding schools, bridges and roads.

"Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who perished and for those who lost their loved ones," he said.

Many were resigned to the fact that few of the missing would be found alive.

Niti Turmadi, 40, said her sister Hisah was going to the market when the mud, trees and rocks plowed down the hill flanking Cijeruk just before daybreak Wednesday, sweeping away everything in its path.

"She has not returned," said Turmadi, waiting with dozens of other grieving relatives beneath a blue tent that was erected next to a small mosque, as the dead were delivered one by one.

"I am quite sure her body will be found, so I'll keep waiting," she said.

Heavy tropical downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous regions and near fertile flood plains close to rivers.

So far 108 bodies have been found in Jember and another 41 have been recovered in Cijeruk. Dozens of people remain unaccounted for. (AP)