OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR OF JAKARTA / SURAT TERBUKA UNTUK GUBERNUR FAUZI BOWO
(dalam Bahasa Indonesia)

Dear Foke (a.k.a. Bang Fauzi ),

You claim to be wise, humble and flexible.

Injustice that is born of a lack of compassion has been rife in Indonesia for decades, if not centuries. My family and I have experienced that injustice for ourselves, and very painful it has been.

I, hereby, invite you, out of compassion, to work with me to help strengthen a rule of law in Indonesia that is applied with compassion.

TRUTH

As you know, injustice in Indonesia has meant that two of my children have been without their father for more than seven years, the two much-needed quality schools I established in Indonesia have been ruined financially and closed, the house I built and paid for has been mortgaged to the hilt and is now dilapidated and rat-infested.  Everything has been squandered and my two children in Indonesia have been denied their university education. 

You are aware that in November, 2002, I was jailed on entirely false charges so that your cousin, Sherisada Manaf ( Richardson ) of Jl. Jurang Mangu Barat No.2, RT. 01/01, Kelurahan Jurang Mangu Barat, Kecamatan Pondok Aren, Tangerang, Banten (Tel. 081386856669 Email: khresna@bit.net.id ), now Partai Demokrat Banten ( Banten Democratic Party ) member of the DPRD (provincial legislature), could take my two schools from me (Jakarta International Montessori School [JIMS], Komplek ISCI, Jl. Ciputat Raya No. 2 Jakarta 12063 and Balikpapan Independent Personal School [BIPS], Vilabeta Residence No. 26, Jl. Marsma Iswahyudi, Gunung Bakaran, Balikpapan), the home I built, my savings, all my personal possessions and, most inhumanely of all, two of my children.

To do this your cousin alleged that on 26th October, 2002, I savagely beat her. However, I have never beaten her and the medical report that was issued the next morning by RS Internasional Bintaro (hospital) proves that she suffered no injuries or bruising.

Despite this, I was arrested and jailed on 6th November, 2002. Several of my representatives confirmed that your influence was behind this. The initial aim was to deport me, but because I would not surrender my passport and be sent away from my children, your cousin had to provide evidence that I had beaten her. That is why she then inflicted three small bruises on herself and obtained a medical report from Dr. Teguh Daryatno of R.S. Internasional Bintaro, on 7th November – 13 days after the alleged assault!

Suspiciously, the police, prosecutors and the Tangerang District Court judges would not show me Dr. Teguh Daryatno's report (Visum et Repertum) during my trial and, based on this fabricated evidence, I was wrongly convicted of the crime of assault (Perkara Pidana Nomor Pdm 05/01/2003 Pada Pengadilan Negeri Tangerang), even though the judges confessed to my representatives that they knew I was innocent.

This conviction was then used in divorce proceedings in the same court (Perkara Gugatan Cerai No.78/Pdt/G/2003/PA.TNG). I had, by that time, been deported and knew nothing about these divorce proceedings until they were almost complete and it was too late. This was clearly intentional, as it was your cousin's aim to take everything I had built up in Indonesia over 13 years from me.

Adulteress, psychological problems and criminal conduct

The question is: Why did Sheri Manaf do this to our children and me? The reason is because I had asked her for a divorce. I knew that she was an adulteress and had been very unfaithful to me for more than ten years. I had eventually fallen in love with another woman. 

Sheri had a psychological problem (Somatic Narcissistic Personality Disorder) and behaved in a thoroughly dishonest, treacherous and depraved way. Many husbands in Indonesia would have beaten her severely for her serial adultery; but I never hit her, although I am sure I made mistakes in handling the situation. Instead, out of compassion, for her sake and for our family's sake, I took her to a psychologist and marriage guidance counsellors. However, none of this made any difference and I finally asked for a divorce in October, 2002; but Sheri did not want me to divorce her.

If she is willing to violate all principles of good conduct and steal from her family, what would she do to her nation?

Although Sheri's conduct has been immoral and criminal, and is certainly not conduct to be tolerated in a member of one of Indonesia's provincial assemblies in this new democratic era, she should be treated with compassion.

JUSTICE WITH COMPASSION AT ITS CORE

Let us work to eradicate corruption and violence from the Indonesian legal system out of compassion for the poor in Indonesia whose lives could be radically improved as a result.

I continue to look forward to hearing from you.

Peace and mercy, 

Frank Richardson

May, 2010
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