From Koran Tempo

From Koran Tempo

Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra is now trying to bring our fourth president to court. Won't this attempt trigger again an outbreak of counterproductive political conflict? Isn't President Megawati's wish that all sectors of the nation, former president Abdurrahman and the National Awakening Party (PKB) included, work together to bring this country out of the protracted crisis?

We are a forgiving nation. Can't we just forgive the former president if he is considered to have committed a mistake? Must we again spend a lot of energy only to deal with never-ending political vendettas?

Let's look ahead to the future. This nation still faces hordes of problems, the solution of which needs unity. Continued bickering will only foil our attempts to get out of the crisis.

Don't let counterproductive acts kill the ray of hope that has now come into view. It is now time for politicians to prove that they place the interests of the nation and the state above their own.

Don't keep pushing an old man who had already experienced his downfall into a corner. Let's give our former presidents a respectable place by remembering their merits and forgiving their mistakes.

HARDIONO

Jepara, Central Java