Saleh Basarah clarifies

I have kept silent so far concerning the land controversies surrounding Jl. Sudirman, Jakarta. I did not want to cause trouble for any party because I had hoped there would be a lawful solution to the land disputes in this country, even though I would act only as a witness in the case to which I might be directly correlated.

As a citizen of this country, I definitely want to be fairly treated. In my opinion, we should not debate who is right and who is wrong in the media, before we know for sure what the exact issue is. But, as the case is being reported in many papers, I feel it necessary to give a brief explanation of the matter. The reports are directly concerned with my self-esteem and the integrity of my family.

PT. Teguh Timbul was established in 1977. On April 17, 1986, Soekiman resigned from PT. Teguh Timbul as indicated in an official statement, and at the same time, quit the board of executives, surrendered both his rights and responsibilities and submitted all the shares to the company.

On April 8, 1988, PT. Teguh Timbul sold all the shares of the company to Dr. Irwan Sutisna through the notary public, in the presence and under the agreement of the president director and all commissioners of the company.

At the time of transfer of the shares, Dr. Irwan (who was also president director of PT Irco Bumi Graha Maju) agreed to pay land compensation money to the residents or their heirs.

In my opinion, if there has been any falsification of documents or violation of the law since the transaction -- particularly if it is not on behalf of PT. Teguh Timbul -- the former shareholders must be freed from any accountability.

What I deeply deplore is that my name is linked to this case. To the best of my knowledge, the alleged fake documents are in the name of PT. Teguh Timbul. This is congruent with Dr. Irwan's statement published in the Suara Pembaruan daily (June 3, 1994) that "I have never used the documents of PT. Teguh Timbul."

PT. Teguh Timbul has never surrendered any land titles or documents whatsoever, except a "Letter of Decision" of the Jakarta governor concerning the right to transfer plots No. 26-27 on Jl. Sudirman to Dr. Irwan.

Meanwhile, why is the accusation of Ir. Soekirman, as an intellectual and officer, regarding the land dispute still linked to my name only? (It seems that I alone am to blame.)

As a consequence of that accusation, reports have been published implying I have been evading my responsibility as a witness.

I think Ir. Soekirman has not been fair in this matter.

In conclusion, I wish to express my appreciation for the statement made by the Armed Forces commander (Suara Karya daily, June 2, 1994) that the police chief has the authority to investigate witnesses who are retired Armed Forces officers. No one is above the law.

The statement is true, and it is applicable to every citizen including me as a retired officer.

SALEH BASARAH

Jakarta