Gen. Wiranto and 'Black Friday'
I'm from the U.S.A. and people from our country support the right to express our opinions however we want to.
I'm outraged at what happened on Friday night. The police were on top of roofs and skyscrapers firing down on top of the people. I can't believe that rubber bullets and blanks could have injured or killed the students as has been reported. Since May 14, 1998, when riots broke out, there has been seven months in which significant change could have occurred. However, very little meaningful changes have occurred. Apparently, the students still feel they cannot trust the government.
The Indonesian people had no guns and really no weapons that could have seriously hurt anyone. I feel that the police abused their power and took advantage of the people. The Indonesian people that marched last week feel that Soeharto cheated the government and the people and that is why this country is in the shape it is in. To appoint Habibie, one of Soeharto's close friends, to replace Soeharto is a shame because the students don't trust him anymore than they trusted Soeharto.
It's a shame that children have to stand on the streets to beg for money to buy shoe strings (I heard that on CNN Saturday morning). Before I left the United States, I read about a nine- year-old boy who gave his own blood to buy rice and oil to feed his brothers and sisters for a few days. Also, I read where mothers were renting their babies and putting their daughters out as prostitutes just so they could make ends meet. I'm aware that you cannot save everyone, but the government needs to provide more assistance to the people. Let's ask ourselves how much money do the people in government make, what kind of homes do they live in and what kind of cars do they drive?
For Gen. Wiranto to say on Friday that Jakarta was safe and under control leads me to believe that he did not understand how serious this problem was. Being in charge, he should have done a much better job of anticipating "Black Friday."
SANDRA FERGUSON
Jakarta