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