Sandals, Indonesian Symbols of Justice

Sandals collecting solidarity action to liberate AAL, a 15 year-old boy on trial in State Court of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, because stealing sandal continues to grow. Most sandals are collected starting handed over to police as a symbol of how expensive justice for the poor.

If only slippers that were stolen does not belong to a police officer, his case would not continue to trial. Moreover, the price of a pair of sandals is not worth the high cost of litigation. Similar to the term for justice seeker, namely ' Lost your chicken, if you report to the police, you may lost your cow '.

The case became hot news in Indonesia, a reality that actually happened in the world of law in Indonesia. For the poor, justice becomes a luxury that must be redeemed at a very expensive price. This does not apply to those who are rich, and for those who close to the legal world, they can easily get justice. Because justice is blind indeed.

Such irony, if the case of AAL is comparing with corruption cases in Indonesia. AAL object crime of not more than IDR 30,000 (US$ 3) are treated as equal to corrupt billions of Rupiah. Strong reaction from the people of Indonesia is a voice of conscience for a substantive justice.

Obviously there is something wrong in AAL legal process, and AAL trial process is really violated conscience. But reality says another, on January 4, 2012, the judge decided AAL proven guilty according to article 362 of the Criminal Code. Punishment received by AAL is returned to his parents to be fostered, in accordance with Law No. 3 of 1997 on The Protection of Children.

Law in Indonesia seemed to be in its own world and no longer becomes a product of society. Hopefully the case of AAL will become last case in Indonesia.

Source : Jawa Pos, Jan 5, 2012, Jati Diri, page 4.