Soeharto and his KKN practices

Soeharto and his KKN practices

From Suara Karya

A number of mass media publications reported on their front pages on April 12, 2000 a suggestion that the Attorney General's Office should display greater seriousness in handling corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) allegedly committed by former president Soeharto and his children. The majority of Indonesia's 200 million plus people, including me, fully agree with this suggestion. I myself have even prayed to God the Almighty that our laws can be really enforced without discrimination.

Didn't our former president, in his peak days, often stress the supremacy of the law and state that the right ones would be right. In view of this, the majority of the population, most of whom are suffering from the monetary crisis, unemployment and are victimized by political games as a result of intensified KKN activities during the administration of Soeharto, fully agree to the idea of the Attorney General's Office prosecuting him, as suggested by a member of Commission II of the House of Representatives, Handjojo Putro. He has asked the attorney general not to lose his head over this matter.

Every time he is subjected to interrogation, the New Order ruler encounters a sudden deterioration in his health. "We have our suspicions why he suddenly becomes ill. Therefore, I have suggested to Marzuki Darusman (the Attorney General) that he should take Soeharto to his office and interrogate him there," said Handjojo Putro as quoted by the media. Meanwhile, Herman Widyanada, former member of the Special Committee on Investigation into the Bank Bali Case, was quoted as suggesting that before nabbing Soeharto, his children should first be handled. Of course, we all support this idea.

A similar idea was also voiced by Adnan Buyung Nasution and Frans Hendra Winata, both lawyers, and a House member from the Golkar faction, Yahya Zaini. They suggested that the Attorney General's Office should change its strategy in dealing with Soeharto by concentrating first on his children, although they also maintained that the case of former president Soeharto must continue to be processed (Suara Karya, April 12, 2000). According to Yahya Zaini, it would be easier to take Soeharto's children, relatives and cronies to court, rather than doing this to Soeharto himself. When Bob Hasan, a close friend of Soeharto's, is interrogated, information will be obtained about the involvement of Soeharto's children, relatives and cronies in KKN cases.

Once again, we, the people, support this idea. But it should be born in mind that when the verdict is passed, President Abdurrahman Wahid should not hastily pardon him. It must be remembered that they have accumulated their riches through KKN practices which have caused misery to the majority of the Indonesian people.

TARKOS M

Jakarta