Forgive, but forget not

Forgive, but forget not

The debate about whether or not President Megawati
Soekarnoputri should use her prerogative to halt the corruption
investigation into former president Soeharto misses the point of
the exercise: The search for truth.

When Soeharto stepped down in May 1998, there was widespread
agreement about the need to investigate the more than three
decades of his misrule. Questions were being asked about the way
he rose to power, the way he held onto power for 32 years, and
the way he stepped aside. All were characterized by bloodshed.

There is also the biggest legacy that his ruthless regime left
behind: Massive corruption that brought this nation to the brink
of bankruptcy, while his family and cronies continue to live in
abundance.

The current criminal proceedings against Soeharto that
President Megawati is considering halting -- on compassionate
grounds because of his age and deteriorating health -- is but
one, a very minor one, of his many misdemeanors.

As sick and frail as Soeharto is, this is the man who brought
untold misery to people, the man who brought this nation to near
self-destruction, and the man who rose to power and then held on
to it through lies, deception and probably even murder.

For President Megawati to order that the corruption
investigation be halted amounts to intervention in an inquest
into Soeharto and his sins. Abdurrahman Wahid, whom Megawati
replaced in July, had more statesmanship when he said that he
would issue a presidential pardon if Soeharto was convicted by a
court.

The whole point of the exercise is not to exact revenge,
certainly not on an old and sick man, but to get to the truth.
And it would help the economy, the impoverished people and the
debt-laden government, if the court could retrieve part of the
billions that Soeharto's children and cronies plundered.

Idul Fitri and Christmas have certainly brought about this
forgiving mood, but in Soeharto's case, there is nothing to
forgive yet because he has not been proven guilty in court. The
truth has yet to come out before anyone, most of all the
President, can be so forgiving. Neither Soeharto, nor his family
members or lawyers, has ever publicly admitted his guilt.

For what it is worth, this controversy has made more urgent
the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission to
look into the entire misdeeds of Soeharto's New Order regime. The
legal approach is cumbersome, piecemeal, time-consuming and -- as
the tiny corruption case against Soeharto has proven --
ineffective. An alternative approach is needed.

A truth and reconciliation commission would expand the
investigation beyond Soeharto for it would also include other key
members of his regime. Such a commission could help the entire
nation come to terms with our dark past, and put it all behind us
once and for all.

Let us be forgiving by all means, but never forget history.