President's apology<\/p>\n
President Habibie's state address had a religious content.
\nDifferent from Indonesia's two former presidents, he readily
\nadmitted human rights violations in the country and humbly
\noffered his apologies to the Indonesian people in general, and
\nthe families of the victims in particular. He has instructed the
\ncommander of the Armed Forces to investigate the matter.<\/p>\n
The families of the victims must feel relieved by the
\nPresident's statement, although no steps have been taken so far.<\/p>\n
Perhaps not much different from the misery felt by the victims
\nof human rights violations is the sufferings of Indonesians due
\nto mismanagement by power holders. The number of victims in this
\ncategory far exceeds that of the category mentioned earlier.
\nAccording to statistics, no fewer than 80 million Indonesians are
\nnow impoverished and in a state of constant difficulty due to
\nloss of work and layoffs. Their purchasing power is at an
\nunprecedented low. On the other hand, prices of commodities have
\nreached an unprecedented high. Reality shows that the loss of an
\nincome is at least as bitter as the loss of life. Children drop
\nout of school and their future turns gloomy because their parents
\ncan only rely on occasional work.<\/p>\n
It is regrettable that during the President's two-hour speech,
\nhe did not utter the words eagerly awaited by more than 100
\nmillion Indonesians, i.e. his apology to the people who have
\nbecome victims of this mismanagement. Neither was there an order
\nfrom him to the Attorney General to thoroughly investigate the
\nculprits of the mismanagement, which has thrown millions into
\nmisery.<\/p>\n
What are the reasons? Only God knows.<\/p>\n
H. IRFAD SUKAMTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/presidents-apology-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }