Hight Court to probe soothsayer's tapes
Hight Court to probe soothsayer's tapes
SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): The High Court will investigate the illicit circulation of audio cassettes containing a well- known psychic's predictions on this year's political turbulence.
"The court is prepared to help the Diponegoro Military Command investigate the recordings, which have spread in Central Java and Yogyakarta," high court chief Harry Moerdjono said yesterday.
Early this week Central Java military chief Lt. Gen. Soeyono said the recordings of soothsayer Permadi were "dangerous to social order and security" because they contained "propaganda and agitation".
Harry said his office, currently, had no copies of the cassette and therefore could not, as yet, make any judgments on its contents.
He said his office would determine later whether the cassette did indeed contain information which endangered national unity and, if necessary, withdraw it from circulation.
Soeyono said the recordings were "misleading" because Permadi predicted that Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of former President Soekarno, would replace Soeharto.
He said Permadi also provoked the people of Central Java and Yogyakarta not to trust him, Soeyono, as the region's military Chief.
"Permadi's comments are only the ideas of a soothsayer whose truth cannot be accounted for," he said.
Permadi told The Jakarta Post that he never said Megawati would become president.
"I was simply pointing out that, God-willing, anyone could become president. Look at Cory Aquino of the Philippines, or Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, for instance. Both of them don't have what people call an appropriate background for the job," he said.
Referring to Soeyono, Permadi said it was wrong for a military chief to have suggested in one of his earlier speeches that Megawati should stay at home and become a housewife.
"As a military man, he must respect the political ideals of others and must stand above everyone. Why doesn't he say a similar thing about Mbak Tutut, for instance?" he said.
"I'm correcting Soeyono because I care about him," Permadi added.(har/pwn)