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)