New Order figures must 'be tried'

New Order figures must 'be tried'

JAKARTA (JP): The director of the Institute of Public Policy
Studies said that in the rush to indict former president Soeharto
and his family, the activities of other prominent players in the
New Order regime should not be overlooked.

"The New Order regime included not only Soeharto and his
family but also many other important figures," Ichsanuddin Noorsy
said during a seminar on reform held here on Friday.

Ichsanuddin, a former Golkar Party legislator, said the
Soeharto regime was supported by four main groups -- the
military, the bureaucracy, conglomerate owners and Golkar -- and
all of these groups should be held accountable for their actions.

"If we are committed to undertaking total reform, we must
cleanse these four groups of those figures who supported
Soeharto's regime."

Meanwhile, Dwiyanto Prihartono, the secretary of the
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association, attacked
President Abdurrahman Wahid's administration for its failure to
uphold the law.

"The Attorney General's Office is only looking to investigate
corruption cases that draw the public's attention," he said.

Hamdan Zoelva, the deputy chairman of House of Representatives
Commission II for home and legal affairs, concurred, saying many
New Order figures had yet to be tried.

"It is not fair...Harmoko, Sudomo, Edy Sudrajat, Bustanil
Arifin, Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Hartarto, Akbar Tandjung, Feisal
Tandjung and Hartono, have been left in peace in their own
houses," he said. (rms)