On New Order cronies

With regard to the letter published in Rakyat Merdeka which was reprinted by The Jakarta Post on Aug. 28, 2001 under the title Death sentence for Tommy, I would like to take the liberty of correcting Attilla Graziani Sjafei of Bandung.

I am in no way a fan of the New Order but I think that it is important to keep the facts correct in regard to Indonesia and Indonesian's trying to understand what is and what has been going on.

Bob Hasan has been sentenced to six years in prison not 18 months. He is still awaiting trial on various other charges. In fact he is the only one of the cronies that has been tried and convicted of corruption etc. thus far (with the exception of Ricardo Gelael and the missing Tommy). Bob Hasan has settled all his debts with the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA). This fact has not been well published.

While all other cronies are running around the world and have yet to come to court, Bob Hasan and his related companies are being made to pay for the sins of their "brothers". Why hasn't the attorney general or other law enforcement agencies made an effort to bring charges and a swift return of money owed by the "ex-first family" or any of the other cronies that are in Singapore or Switzerland or other parts of the world? -- some even in their own homes.

With regards to Tommy, why haven't the police been able to find him? Is it not more convenient to blame every crime that happens on him? He is deserving of much punishment and maybe even death for crimes that we all know he has committed. Do we need to add crimes that we are unsure of also? Why not concentrate on what is known. That should keep 20 Attorney General's Offices busy for the next 50 years.

Will things change now that Ibu Megawati and her "mutual help" Cabinet are in charge? Or are we to see more of what we have already seen -- empty promises, empty coffers and empty prison cells?

NATALIA SARTIKA

Jakarta