I'm no president: Bambang

JAKARTA (JP): If you can't get to the father, try the son.

That may have been the motive of reporters when they flocked around President Soeharto's second eldest son Bambang Trihatmodjo after his father's accountability speech yesterday.

Despite the barrage of questions leveled at him, Bambang managed to remain aloof when asked to comment on his father's speech.

"(The speech) was realistic, open and unpretentious," he was quoted by Antara as responding to one question. He refused many other questions, simply saying he did not know.

Another reporter, using one of Soeharto's favorite quotes, asked whether there were really people "fishing in murky waters" during the monetary crisis.

Nonchalantly Bambang said: "You should know more about that than me."

But when asked whether the President would drastically pare down his cabinet to 15 ministers, Bambang firmly replied to the quote-hungry reporters.

"I don't know! I'm not the president." (das)