Act of chivalry

Megawati Soekarnoputri's call on all Indonesians to stop defiling fallen president Soeharto was an act of chivalry. Having endured the same agony of being publicly defiled when her father was ousted, she could indeed empathize with Soeharto's family. However, one should also understand why this bashing occurs, and acknowledge the feelings of the Indonesian people.

Having been repressed for 32 years, where criticism toward Soeharto was almost considered blasphemous, and when people could only vent out their feelings by circulating jokes and rumors, this certainly is an opportunity for people to speak out now.

The same thing happened after the fall of Sukarno in 1966. However, much as Sukarno was a popular figure, and is still much loved and admired by many Indonesians (including myself), we should not deny the fact that he was, after all, a dictator too.

So back to Megawati's question, "Do we have to replace our state leaders through such treatment every time?" The answer is no, it will not happen again, provided that the present and future leaders of Indonesia are able to refrain from abusing their powers and ruling this country like a dictatorship.

DANNY I. YATIM

Jakarta