President Soeharto denies commission for Taman Mini

President Soeharto denies commission for Taman Mini

MOJOKERTO, East Java (JP): President Soeharto denied yesterday
that his wife, Tien Soeharto, ever received a commission for the
construction of the Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park 20 years
ago.

Soeharto also acknowledged that Tien became the target of
accusations then and that the couple's residence in Jalan Cendana
was said to be the "headquarters" for determining the amount of
commission for many development projects.

Speaking off the cuff in a meeting with women activists during
the commemoration of the Women's Day here, Soeharto said that
Tien was once dubbed "ten percent". As if "she received ten
percent of commission for each project," Soeharto said.

"That's not true. But, even so, let it go. That's the mistaken
opinion of some people," Soeharto said. "We trust in God, we'll
leave everything to God."

Soeharto was explaining how Tien managed to combine the
different roles she has; as a wife, a mother and a community
member. "She divides her time between her husband and the
community," Soeharto said.

It turned out that Tien was able to "build hospitals, the
Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park...these were not completed
because of her alone, but because she asked the community to help
develop it", Soeharto said.

"It wasn't her own money, but she asked community members who
understood and willing...even though at the beginning there was
much misunderstanding about the project, as if she was taking
commission money," he said.

"Because the intentions were good, the park was completed with
the cooperation of the people," he said.

The construction of the Miniature Park in 1974 was greeted by
strong criticism from many groups. The park is now one of the
major tourist attractions in Jakarta.

Tien was honored in 1992 for her role in cultivating
Indonesian culture. Soeharto conferred upon her the Bintang
Budaya Parama Dharma medal, the highest honor for culture
development.

In the gathering yesterday, Soeharto was praised for his
harmonious family life and was asked to give his recipe for his
long-lasting marriage.

"..harmony between husband and wife can be achieved by helping
and understanding each other, just as the concept of partnership
teaches," he said.

"Everybody has both weaknesses and strengths. The one who is
strong should help the other, while the other who has a weakness
should be willing to receive help," he said. (15/swe)