SENAYANPOST - Former Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and Professor of Philosophy of State Intelligence, Prof. Dr. General (Ret.) Abdullah Mahmud Hendropriyono, in an interview with Kilat.com, provided his views on President Prabowo Subianto's decision to grant abolition and amnesty to former Minister of Trade Thomas Trikasih Lembong, also known as Tom Lembong, as well as to former Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto, during a break from his meeting with Minister of Culture Fadli Zon in Jakarta on Monday, August 4, 2025.
What is the academic significance of abolition and amnesty in our state system?
Abolition and amnesty are constitutional rights of the President under Article 14 of the 1945 Constitution. From an academic perspective, both constitute clemency mechanisms, or state pardons, which are not merely legal actions but also strategic moral steps. This demonstrates that the executive branch can use forgiveness policies to restore socio-political order, rather than simply punish.
So, what is the positive side of the Thomas Lembong and Hasto Kristiyanto cases?
Both open up space for public reflection on the ethics of power, political transparency, and humanity within the law.
In the case of Thomas Lembong, abolition can be read as an effort to avoid political polarization based on the criminalization of opinion or economic actions after having completed their terms in public office.
In the case of Hasto Kristiyanto, amnesty demonstrates a restorative approach to political friction and maintains stability during the transitional government.
Is this not a form of power intervening in the legal system?
On the contrary, it serves as an academic lesson that in a democratic state governed by law, the president's power to grant pardons is part of a system of checks and balances. It is not a violation of the law, but a constitutional corridor that can be used wisely for the greater public interest.
What can law and political science students learn from these events?
