Prosecute Soeharto or resign

Prosecute Soeharto or resign

Time magazine's May 17 edition presents a report on the assets
that former president Soeharto has stashed abroad. The report is
the result of serious research lasting about three months. It was
reported that Soeharto and his children control assets worth a
total of US$15 billion in cash and shares, corporate assets,
jewelry, art items and mansions and penthouses in the USA and in
Britain.

The report also says that the Soehartos own a number of
private aircraft and that some time before Soeharto's resignation
on May 21, 1998, some $9 billion in cash was transferred from a
Swiss bank to one in Austria. Calculated on the basis of an
exchange rate of Rp 8,000 to the dollar, the assets of the
Soehartos will amount to about Rp 120 trillion. Well, this is
just part of the wealth so far discovered by Time magazine.

Reportedly, the assets of the Soehartos add up to a total of
some Rp 500 trillion, including those at home, such as three
million hectares of land. As Time magazine is a credible and
well-reputed international magazine, its investigation must be
correct and accurate. Surely, the magazine can show all the
evidence.

If the attorney general is serious in probing the assets of
Soeharto and his cronies, he can summon the editor of Time to
come to Indonesia or else he can send a team of prosecutors to
the editorial board of Time magazine for further information
about this matter. I believe Time is very serious in this matter
and that its report is correct and accountable.

Unfortunately, I do not believe that President B.J. Habibie
and Attorney General A.M. Ghalib will really have the guts to
conduct a real probe into the assets of Soeharto and his
children. Habibie himself is not clean, as during the New Order
era he was involved in corrupt, collusive and nepotistic
practices.

So, if Habibie is not capable of probing Soeharto and taking
him to a criminal court on the basis of Law No. 3/1971, it will
be better for him to own up about it. Just leave the
investigation and prosecution of Soeharto to the new Indonesian
president. (I believe that Habibie will not be elected president
again. Just see what happens on June 7). As for A.M. Ghalib, it
will be better for him to resign from his position as the
attorney general. If he is not capable of dealing with former
president Soeharto, just say so openly.

The Time report shows clearly that Soeharto was very much
involved in corrupt, collusive and nepotistic practices during
his terms of office. Why should we vote for the Golkar Party and
Habibie as they will only protect Soeharto?

SUHARSONO HADIKUSUMO

Jakarta