Don't award Soeharto, try him

It is to be admitted that Soeharto differed from Sukarno who focused his struggle on political development, national unity and national pride.

In economics Soeharto prevailed where Sukarno didn't, greatly changing the national attitude to development. This is the success story of the Soeharto regime.

However, the benefits of development were not evenly distributed among the people. This development has created a wide gap between the rich and the poor, which has resulted in social disharmony.

Despite the successes Soeharto achieved, his great sins must also not be forgotten. He was the president who most extensively worked to destroy democratic values, principles and the respect for human rights -- the legitimate aspirations of those in an independent nation -- under the guise of protecting economic development.

He led the nation to become a nation of slaves. He also encouraged feudalism to flourish, promoting bapak-ism (corrupt paternalism). People have been taken into a state of ignorance, they have inferiority complexes and lack self-confidence.

It was obvious during the New Order era that acts of suppression were frequent and universal principles were not abided by.

Hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of people have died and been buried in unmarked graves that are yet to be found. Soeharto, as the ultimate authority, should have been brought to court for these crimes against humanity.

During the three decades of his administration, Soeharto worked to destroy human values, ethics and morality because he let corruption run rife in all levels of society. Now Indonesia is labeled one of the most corrupt countries in the world. He and his cronies have not yet been tried for corruption, with Soeharto's alleged ill health as the excuse.

While it is unable or unwilling to bring Soeharto to court, Indonesia loses its chance to revitalize essential values such as truth, justice, honesty, morality and ethics in a open, objective and honest manner.

That is why the presentation of an award by the Golkar Party to former president Soeharto must be strongly condemned if we want to realize a truly democratic country and stand on the same platform as the other civilized nations of the world.

ADNAN BUYUNG NASUTION Jakarta