Why IndoCrime?(The Tale of 3Gs)

Many friends of mine already have blogs. The contents are vary. Do I need one too? But, for what I have to create another? Everyday I write on the net. Writing itself is my daily activity, a routine and sometimes makes me boring. Then, do I have time to pay attention for writing on the blog? Next question: What kind of blog do I want to make? Shortly, so many considerations in my mind and finally I never have a blog until one day, May 5, 2006.

In that day, the first G hits my awareness about important facts related crime and law in Indonesia. Who is the first G? Yes, he is Gunawan Santoso (Acin, an Indonesian-Chinese) who escaped from his exclusive cell in the section for narcotics offenders at Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta. It was the third time he had escaped from custody since 2003.

As written on The Jakarta Post, many have expressed suspicion that insiders helped him flee through the layered doors of the narcotics section. GS was sentenced to death in June 2004 for ordering the July 2003 murder of his former father-in-law, PT Aneka Sarana Bakti (Asaba) president Boedyharto Angsono, as well as the latter's bodyguard. He arranged the hit after escaping from Kuningan Prison, West Java, where he had been sentenced to 28 months for embezzling billions of rupiah from PT Asaba.

GS's second escape attempt happened in March 2004 on his way to his murder trial at the North Jakarta District Court. He leapt from a moving van after threatening those guarding him with a 32-caliber Barretta. His mother Mulyati Santosa and his sister (Sulistina/Caca) had smuggled in the gun while visiting him at Salemba Penitentiary, Central Jakarta. He was later caught by police.

It is a public secret that bribery is rampant among our law enforcers, and special treatment of detainees or prisoners of well-off or powerful families is commonplace. Everybody knows that.

Also still a question, how GS changed his shirt during transportation to the court house, and why the driver took the unusual route from the prison to the court. A mikrolet driver told the police that he saw the paddy wagon stop behind his car for minutes. The driver of the paddy wagon had told him that he was waiting for somebody.

The key witness in this escape attempt is, of course, GS himself. Unfortunately, GS's mother and lawyer Alamsyah Hanafiah have claimed that GS -- then treated at the Sukanto Police Hospital -- cannot remember what happened. There has been, however, no doctor's confirmation of GS's "amnesia". If this were true, the investigation of this most recent escape drama would be more complicated.

When many question still on air, GS hits back with escaping from Cipinang. Alamsyah said that GS once complained about the way he treated in Cipinang. “Like a peaceful dove (Geopilia striata),” as GS quoted as saying.

But in my own view, GS is very complicated. I think he has vengeance drive because of his track record in Asaba. It is said that GS very hatred after he heard that Boedyharto Angsana evicted his mom and sisters (Caca and Fitri Santoso/Ling Ling) from their family home. It’s family war I think. So, police said that the provide protection for Angsana family after GS left Cipinang recently.

The fact bring me to second G. He is a brilliant. His name Gunawan Eko Prabowo. Long years ago, when we were classmate in Faculty of Social and Political Science University of Indonesia, I have known that he will be a prominent people. Born in Sragen, West Java in 1967, GEP was one of the best students in criminology department. Now, he is chief editor in Pos Kota daily, the most famous paper on crime and city news in Jakarta.

In his early career, I still can read many information and GEP’s analyses in long articles regularly. Unfortunately, more than a hundred thousands Pos Kota readers now is missing his works. I hope he will be back and hit the readers with broad range analyses about crime in Indonesia.

Actually several graduates of Criminology Department (the one and only in Indonesia until now) are also journalist. But their career, I think, too far from their background. I can mention here as example, Ivan Haris, Yoyok Yudhoyoko, Sumargani Subekti, or Maman Suherman, even Jubing Kristanto (used to be journalist in Nova tabloid but more known as reliable guitarist) and Adrianus Meliala (former journalist in Editor magazine and now he's a real criminologist in campus and often quoted as expert).While Ade Erlangga Masdiana once tried to publish a paper but still known as an expert. I also have to mention another, Sukardi Rinakit (learned Political Economic in NUS), who is now managing a research institute (Sugeng Sarjadi Syndicated) and also a columnist. Before them, we know Mulyana W Kusumah (a criminologist), who was now being jailed related with General Election Commission's scandal.

I'm waiting for their idea and perspective about crimes in Indonesia. But, while waiting, the third G, me, try to devote my very limited time for blogging about current crimes issues in Indonesia. I’m not a criminologist, but I know that one of important lecture in criminology department is Capita Selecta. So, I will use the way Capita Selecta run to fill this blog: Select the interesting issues. But it’s not limited to street crime.

It will be complicated like GS case. This blog will also cover prostitution, ethnicity, organized crime, white collar crime, drugs and narcotics, transnational crime, delinquency, corporate crime, state crime, and of course terrorism. In the society where the law is questionable, it must be more amazing crimes.