On Jamsostek

The Jakarta Post's Dec. 5, 1997 edition ran with the headline: Soeharto ordered bill funding, followed by: "Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief said yesterday that it was President Soeharto who ordered the use of state-owned social insurance company PT Jamsostek's funds to finance the deliberation of the manpower bill." Etcetera.

That day, other newspapers published a different story, which read: Soeharto told Abdul Latief that from now on the President would directly supervise the use of Jamsostek's funds.

The fatally malignant difference is so obvious, and as far as I know since you have not come up with a withdrawal/revision/correction of your version, I surmise that you are sticking to your opinion. If you are right and telling the truth, then I -- and many others -- are very dismayed at knowing that was what really happened. The implications would be so grave that I hope that you are wrong, that you have not misinformed and misled us deliberately but inadvertently unthinkable as that is, for the better of this country than if you had been telling the truth.

R. SUNARYO

Jakarta

Note: We based the report on Abdul Latief's statement.

-- Editor