Four musketeers

Musketeers, as most of us remember from tales of bravery during the French revolution (1789), are most effective in attack.

Yet the four musketeers, you are going to witness here, are almost all defenseless.

The first is a political musketeer by the name of Bill Clinton who was questioned -- like a villain, by members of a Grand Jury on charges of having committed perjury.

Lying under oath for the number one citizen is punishable by the death penalty, which impeachment by Congress in essence entails.

What puzzled people outside the U.S. is why an illicit love affair between the most powerful man in the world and an eager butterfly is the cause of investigation.

Why did Mr. Starr not wait until there were signs that Bill wanted to sell Silicon Valley, for instance? My impression is that Americans are primitive in making love impulsively.

Regretfully its equally impulsive wild/free media take childish delight in hammering on a human basic instinct in the name of truth, of law on the First Amendment. Surely, this U.S. side is not to be admired. The whole spectacle looks barbaric and lurid to me.

At last we see the other musketeer from home, scientist turned political warrior, Habibie has yielded to pressure from mainly student groups, that he probe the wealth of his predecessor.

But many observers see it as more of a pretext to look more credible. They are convinced that he would valiantly sacrifice his own life to protect his former mentor, if necessary.

The third musketeer growls like a bear. He accepts only Nyet for "No" for he is Boris Yeltsin.

There is nothing wrong with him except that he did not stay long enough in the West to master the system of the liberal economy. Luckily Turkish baths keep his libido at a tolerable constitutional level.

Boris likes to beat a big drum while his daughter plays Antonin Dvorzak Humoreske on the piano. Unlike his American counterpart, Boris detests playing the sexophonette. Nevertheless, he seems also helpless facing the Duma, the Russian Parliament controlled by his opponents.

After his forced resignation, the fourth forlorn musketeer Soeharto, has had little time practicing on his golden flute and memorizing Maladi's classic composition Di sela-sela rumput hijau (Amidst the green grass). Partly because he faced questions by a team of investigators on his reported overseas wealth and partly because the grass on his Tapos ranch is not green anymore.

Now, don't blame me if my admiration goes to innovative musketeer Bill. Not because he withstood that four-hour long ordeal keeping his composure, televised world-wide, and through the internet with one face, and with the other face addressed the UNGA (Nelson Mandela seems to share my sentiments) but because primarily he has admitted his wrong doing and asked to be forgiven -- though politically motivated.

Believe me, only men and women of character admit their mistakes instead of blaming others for their failures.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta