All that glitters...

It is now clear to us all that the "huge" gold find in Busang was nothing but a hoax. Everybody was shocked to hear the announcement to that effect, especially when it was stated there were suspicions the gold sample was "prepared" before being tested to cover the real gold content.

Well, this gold of Busang has now become gold bull. It is saddening to know a lot of investors have been cheated. They are innocent people but they have suffered big losses. Who are the culprits? Was the late Guzman a victim of conspiracy? Are there others who have really been masterminding this gold affair?

Apart from the police investigation and its results later on, what lesson should Indonesia learn from this shameful gold mine affair? One thing is clear to us that the government has been too soon to jump to conclusions about Busang's prospects.

We should have been careful when we first obtained news from Bre-X. We should not have blindly believed the report before checking it. After all there was no need to be in a hurry to exploit the mine. Why did we hastily approve the report? If we did not have the expertise to confirm the report's findings, we could have hired outsiders to do it.

I hope this kind of affair will not be repeated in the future. We should remember that, according to the 1945 Constitution, all the wealth found in our land, waters and skies should be exploited and managed for the optimum benefit of the Indonesian people, not a handful of people only.

W. PIENANDORO

Bogor, West Java