Soeharto's explanation<\/p>\n
Soeharto's attestation that he never amassed any wealth during
\nhis years as president surely surprised no one. He used the
\nlargest part of his 30-minute account on a television network
\nowned by (his eldest daughter) Tutut to explain why he set up his
\nvarious foundations. He related how he had done so to help the
\nwidows and orphaned children of soldiers who had died for their
\ncountry; to assist the needy so they could send their children to
\nschool; to build hospitals to provide cheap medical care for the
\npoor, etcetera, etcetera.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, in fact, was so good at explaining his motives that
\nmany people could well have been impressed by his charitable
\nintentions in setting up those foundations. Only a week ago,
\nhowever, Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib said investigations
\nindicated that funds belonging to those foundations were misused.
\nIn other words, it was believed that public money -- it should
\nnot be forgotten that these foundations collected money from the
\npublic -- had been manipulated under the names of those
\nfoundations. This was one point Soeharto never mentioned.<\/p>\n
What people have been demanding so far should be clear enough:
\nSoeharto must take responsibility for having misused his powers,
\nfor his own and his family's benefit. And the foundations were
\nnot the only means by which those manipulations were conducted.
\nThere were other means as well, which is another point the
\nauthorities must investigate without delay. One other thing must
\nbe set straight: people are demanding that it is not only
\nSoeharto who must be held responsible but his family as well.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's televised explanation on Monday only served to
\nconfine the problem. He was trying to narrow down the focus of
\nthe investigations to the irregularities committed. He was trying
\nto make it appear as if the accusations of wealth accumulation
\nare restricted to only himself and do not include his family and
\ncronies. He was trying to create the impression that the
\naccusations concern only the foundations under his control.<\/p>\n
This is the problem the government must solve. Investigations
\nmust include not only Soeharto but his family and cronies as
\nwell. We are racing against time. Every second that passes
\nprovides them with the opportunity to erase their tracks. Let us
\nnot allow the tracks that are still clear now to become obscure.<\/p>\n
-- Republika, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soehartos-explanation-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }