Ganjar: Hasto's Amnesty is Momentum for Law Enforcement Without Political Interference

DENPASAR, KOMPAS — The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle or PDI-P considers President Prabowo Subianto's decision to grant amnesty to PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto as a correct step and a momentum for a more just law enforcement. The party believes that the legal process faced by Hasto from the beginning has been fraught with irregularities and political drama.

The Chairman of the DPP PDI-P, Ganjar Pranowo, when contacted from Denpasar, Bali, emphasized that the granting of amnesty or abolition is the prerogative right of the President, taking into account the input from the DPR. He hopes that the granting of amnesty to Hasto can become a momentum for the enforcement of law that is fair and free from political intervention.

"That's all. Nothing more, nothing less. This could be the momentum for fair law enforcement without political intervention," said Ganjar.

It is known that Hasto was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and a fine of IDR 250 million, with a subsidiary of three months' imprisonment, by the panel of judges of the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 25. Hasto was proven to be involved in the bribery case concerning the replacement of members of the DPR for Harun Masiku.

However, on Thursday (31/7/2025) evening, the Deputy Chairman of the DPR from the Gerindra Party faction, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, stated that the DPR has approved President Prabowo's request to grant abolition for Tom Lembong, amnesty for the Secretary General of PDI-P Hasto Kristiyanto, and 1,115 other convicts. The granting of amnesty is said to be for the sake of reconciliation.

Separately, the Chairperson of the DPP PDI-P, Ribka Tjiptaning, considers the granting of amnesty to be justly accepted by Hasto. She even stated that the decision was delayed, as Hasto should have been acquitted from the very beginning of the trial.

"But what we see is all full of drama. So for me, it is indeed appropriate for Hasto to receive (the amnesty)," said Ribka.

A member of the House of Representatives from the PDI-P faction, Romy Soekarno, also expressed his highest appreciation to President Prabowo for what he deemed a wise decision based on the spirit of statesmanship.

"This decision reflects a statesmanlike attitude that is capable of understanding legal issues not merely within a legal-formal framework, but also in the context of politics, substantive justice, and the broader interests of the nation's democracy," he stated.

Romy believes that Hasto's legal proceedings have raised public questions from the outset due to numerous irregularities in procedures, case construction, and political timing. He continued, the handling of this case reflects more of a power struggle than objective and fair law enforcement.

"In this context, the granting of amnesty serves as an appropriate correction to legal distortions as well as a form of restoration of the political rights of a citizen," he stated.

Furthermore, he stated that the amnesty for Hasto Kristiyanto emphasizes that the law should not be used as a tool of power to silence criticism or suppress political opponents. "The law must remain a guardian of the nation's collective morality and a pendulum of justice that favors truth and the interests of the people," Romy said.

Conversely, the Head of the Constitutional Law Study Program at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Gugun El Guyanie, criticized the President's policy of granting amnesty to Hasto and abolition to Tom Lembong. "Indeed, amnesty and abolition are presidential rights, but in another context, such grants have negative aspects," he stated.

The first negative aspect is that the granting of amnesty and abolition by the President represents a form of political intervention in the law enforcement process and the independence of the judiciary, ultimately threatening the rule of law. If there are indeed errors in the law enforcement regarding the cases of Hasto and Tom, then that aspect, according to Gugun, should be rectified, rather than the President granting amnesty and abolition.

With the granting of amnesty and abolition, the public may interpret it as part of a political interest exchange. Moreover, the use of the President's prerogative is feared to become a political hostage tool. In the case of Hasto, for example, amnesty was granted so that PDI-P would not become a strong opposition to the government. As is known, PDI-P is still outside of Prabowo's government.

Another negative consequence, according to Gugun, is that the granting of amnesty and abolition raises concerns regarding the enforcement of law in corruption cases. These concerns may arise because, in the future, the enforcement of law in cases categorized as extraordinary crimes could be easily intervened by the President through amnesty and abolition.

"Typically, amnesty and abolition are granted to political prisoners who do not have any criminal legal cases. Therefore, we must clarify this; Prabowo should not get caught up in the politicization of law or intervene in the independence of law enforcement," he said.