President's apology

President Habibie's state address had a religious content. Different from Indonesia's two former presidents, he readily admitted human rights violations in the country and humbly offered his apologies to the Indonesian people in general, and the families of the victims in particular. He has instructed the commander of the Armed Forces to investigate the matter.

The families of the victims must feel relieved by the President's statement, although no steps have been taken so far.

Perhaps not much different from the misery felt by the victims of human rights violations is the sufferings of Indonesians due to mismanagement by power holders. The number of victims in this category far exceeds that of the category mentioned earlier. According to statistics, no fewer than 80 million Indonesians are now impoverished and in a state of constant difficulty due to loss of work and layoffs. Their purchasing power is at an unprecedented low. On the other hand, prices of commodities have reached an unprecedented high. Reality shows that the loss of an income is at least as bitter as the loss of life. Children drop out of school and their future turns gloomy because their parents can only rely on occasional work.

It is regrettable that during the President's two-hour speech, he did not utter the words eagerly awaited by more than 100 million Indonesians, i.e. his apology to the people who have become victims of this mismanagement. Neither was there an order from him to the Attorney General to thoroughly investigate the culprits of the mismanagement, which has thrown millions into misery.

What are the reasons? Only God knows.

H. IRFAD SUKAMTO

Jakarta