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