Soeharto giggles away Amien's allegations of corruption

Soeharto giggles away Amien's allegations of corruption

JAKARTA (JP): Soeharto burst into laughter when Amien Rais
said in a televised debate on Friday the former president tried
to arrest him a few months before the May 21 transfer of power to
then vice president B.J. Habibie, informed sources said on
Saturday.

Soeharto also giggled when Amien told Attorney General Lt.
Gen. A.M. Ghalib during the debate, broadcast live by private TV
station SCTV, that an international magazine would soon carry a
report detailing the results of its investigation into Soeharto
and his family's coffers.

"He burst into laughter when Amien talked about his arrest and
about Pak Harto's cronies. Bapak said Amien's story was totally
baseless," a source said on Saturday.

Soeharto watched the debate and asked his aides to record it.
The debate itself was attended by a number of Soeharto's lawyers,
including Juan Felix Tampubolon.

Forum Keadilan weekly and the Jakarta Lawyers Club jointly
organized the debate between Amien and Ghalib after the two had
traded accusations through the media for weeks.

Amien said President B.J. Habibie's government should give
concrete evidence of its seriousness in investigating Soeharto,
who Amien called "Mr. Soeharto" during the debate.

Amien claimed Soeharto ordered then attorney general Singgih
to engineer a subversion charge against him and arrest him
because of his criticism of Soeharto and his demand that he
resign. Amien said Singgih did not comply with the order.

Amien also said a worldwide news magazine would publish a list
of Soeharto's riches in several countries, including Austria.

"Amien is really a professor of making up stories," the
source, who has known Soeharto for some 20 years, quoted Soeharto
as saying.

There were few politicians who dared to attack Soeharto when
he was in power, and Amien was one of them.

"Now everyone feels it is an obligation to denounce Soeharto,
even senior government officials who regarded every one of
Bapak's word as the truth when he was still president," the
source said.

Soeharto, who resigned on May 21 last year following
nationwide protests and violence, now spends most of his time
reading newspapers and watching the news on TV. He complains that
he is depicted as a pariah in most of the news coverage.

Soeharto is especially concerned by the coverage given him by
TV stations, some of which are owned or linked to his children.
SCTV was founded by Peter Gontha, who is a business ally of
Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo. RCTI is partly owned by
Bambang, while TPI is owned by his daughter Siti Hardijanti
Rukmana.

"The owners have practically lost control over (their
television stations)," a source said.

Soeharto is also saddened by the ongoing violence and riots
throughout the country and the prolonged economic crisis. He also
criticized the abuse of the social safety net fund by government
officials.

"He is very concerned but he does not have the money to help
the poor," the source said.

The retired five-star general also spends his time performing
his religious services at home, including fasting on Monday,
Tuesday and Thursday. He also often receives Muslim preachers
from various provinces.

He rarely leaves home except to play golf with Bambang or
eldest son Sigit Harjojudanto, usually at Sentul golf course in
Sentul, West Java. When he was president, he played golf almost
exclusively in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, with close confidant
Muhammad "Bob" Hasan.

"But now they rarely meet in order to avoid a public uproar,"
another source said.

The sources hinted that Soeharto was very healthy. (prb)