A Mephistophelian bargain?

A Mephistophelian bargain?

Why would Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) even think of inviting
Soeharto to have a major role in reconciliation through a public
dialog, if Soeharto takes no responsibility for national
reconciliation by public repentance?

Soeharto deserves no place of official responsibility unless
he accepts personal responsibility for corruption and human
rights abuses during his reign. If there is evidence that
Soeharto is holding the country hostage by using his agents to
terrorize the population, he deserves not to be appeased but to
be jailed.

Appeasement, the preferred political tool of another era, is a
discredited strategy. Mr. Gus Dur's proposal to save the sheep by
inviting the wolf to the dinner table is a bargain with the
devil, a strange proposition for a principled religious leader to
take. It is a sure formula for unending tyranny.

DONNA K. WOODWARD

Medan, North Sumatra