Looting

Looting

From Kompas

The concern the government feels over the recent incidents of looting is so deep that on Sunday, May 17, 1998, a number of ministers took the time to explain to the public that the looting, which occurred as a result of a demand for reform, which was echoed by university students, incurred losses worth Rp 2.5 trillion.

In this context, I would like to suggest that the government must also assign some ministers to explain to the public how much of the people's and the state's funds have been "looted" by those practicing corruption and collusion, including the illegal levies that people had to pay during the New Order government.

Then, the government must also assign a number of ministers to account to the public for the "disappearances" of certain student activists, which is, basically, another form of "looting". This suggestion has been put forward only to neutralize the impression that hypocrisy seems to be developing among our high-ranking government officials.

ADENG H. SUDARSA

Bandung, West Java