`Untouchable' Tomy should thank Saddam<\/p>\n
Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,
\nkorpur@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
The live TV coverage of the \"consultation meeting\" of
\nnotorious businessman Tomy Winata with the House of
\nRepresentatives Commission I on Monday brought to mind the
\nappearance of the legendary Mafioso Al Capone in the Untouchables
\nmovie and TV series; of course, without the presence of federal
\nagent Elliot Ness.<\/p>\n
Tomy's lawyers or loyal followers may protest this comparison,
\nbut it's only an imaginary comparison.<\/p>\n
For Tomy, the meeting may likely be among his most humiliating
\n15 minutes of infamy. The legislators grilled Tomy, rumored to be
\none of the most feared tycoons in the country, for nearly four
\nhours. He was treated like a defendant and at least two TV
\nstations broadcasted the hearing live -- all because a protest on
\nMarch 8 by his supporters against the Tempo weekly had involved
\nintimidation and violence against the editors and journalists.<\/p>\n
They were upset on the weekly's report which quoted an
\nanonymous source saying Tomy had offered a proposal to renovate
\nthe Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta prior to the fire which
\ndestroyed it. The report also published his denial.<\/p>\n
In the meeting with legislators Tomy tried to hide his
\nresentment when questioned about his alleged role in drug
\ntrafficking, gambling, and in the July 27 riots in 1996 to remove
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri from the then-Indonesian Democratic Party
\n(PDI).<\/p>\n
He was seated in the same row with Tempo weekly magazine chief
\neditor Bambang Harymurti, who had experienced the banning of
\nTempo with two other media in 1994 for their critical reports.<\/p>\n
Tomy tried to convince Commission I members that his only
\nambition was to serve his beloved nation, to help the poor, to
\nhire the jobless and to help drug victims.<\/p>\n
Renowned for his close relations with nearly all top level
\nofficers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police, he
\nappeared like an ordinary businessman during the meeting with
\nlegislators.<\/p>\n
\"Do not be deceived by his appearance like the Angel Gabriel,\"
\nlegislator Trimedya Panjaitan said.<\/p>\n
Legislator Achmad Sumargono told the businessman not to be
\narrogant and reminded him to learn from the cronies of former
\npresident Soeharto, who fell along with the former ruler.<\/p>\n
The legislators deserve praise for never hinting at
\ndiscriminatory remarks against the 45-year-old Chinese Indonesian
\nbusinessman, unprovoked by the earlier discriminatory statements
\nmade by Tomy's close aide David, alias A. Miauw.<\/p>\n
It is likely that Tomy's enemies and others who do not like
\nthe way he runs his business, cannot hope for any change in him.
\nHe may assume a lower profile in public, but his business empire,
\npower and perceived character will likely remain untouchable.<\/p>\n
It is yet to be seen whether the media can last long in their
\n\"war on thuggery\", their efforts to uphold justice and to urge
\nthe government to punish those who are responsible for the attack
\nagainst Tempo, including the physical abuse of its chief editor
\nand former astronaut candidate Bambang.<\/p>\n
Routinization will pose a challenge to the media's struggle in
\nthis respect.<\/p>\n
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will also be quite helpful,
\nalbeit unintentionally, to Tomy in the next few days, because
\nwhen the United States eventually invades Iraq, news on the war
\nwill dominate the headlines. The police will be busy anticipating
\npossible anti-U.S. protests throughout the country, despite
\ndemands that Tomy's case remain a priority.<\/p>\n
The House has vowed to crack down on any thuggery; yet almost
\nnone of the hundreds of mega-corruption scandals have been
\nresolved. From President Megawati to her ministers and to
\nanticorruption officials, from judges to prosecutors, from police
\nand to religious leaders, all condemn corruption, but what have
\nthey done to live up to their own vows? The executives of Lippo
\nBank remain untouchable, although their crime is obvious to
\nordinary Indonesians.<\/p>\n
Protection of press freedom cannot be expected from the
\nCabinet, while the President herself often lashes out at the
\nmedia.<\/p>\n
Tomy Winata has become controversial just because his name is
\noften spoken in the same breath as dirty business, violence and
\narrogance, and the people around him are overconfident about
\ntheir boss's supremacy. Regardless of the truth behind the
\nallegations, Tomy's image drives fear into many people.<\/p>\n
Many other conglomerates are no cleaner than Tomy's, but have
\nnever been grilled in public. TNI generals and top brass of the
\npolice have denied the rumors that they received \"protection\"
\nmoney from Tomy, and time will tell of the efforts to clear up
\nsuch rumors.<\/p>\n
Legislators also told the media that they must learn from the
\nmany cases of dissatisfaction over press coverage, from
\nsensational news to pornographic reports.<\/p>\n
Tomy himself will most likely recover quickly from Monday's
\nembarrassment, and many will continue to pay their respects to
\nthe Don.<\/p>\n
And like watching the Untouchables, people soon leave the
\ncinema after the end credits to return to their ordinary lives.<\/p>\n
Will we also forget such cases of violence?<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/untouchable-tomy-should-thank-saddam-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }