Soeharto protected corrupt aides: Brother

JAKARTA (JP): Businessman Probosutedjo described on Saturday the methods his half-brother Soeharto used to protect corrupt officials when he was still in power, blaming this practice for the paralyzing economic crisis gripping the country today.

Probosutedjo, who was recently appointed chairman of a new political party, Marhaenis Front Indonesian National Party (PNI Front Marhaenis), made the statement at the party's headquarters on Jl. Cikini Raya, Central Jakarta.

Probosutedjo was previously known as a loyal ally of his brother, repeatedly vouching for the former president's innocence in the face of corruption charges.

"Pak Harto always protected his corrupt underlings. Pak Harto became upset if people criticized his men because he took it also as a criticism against the person who appointed them, namely himself," Probosutedjo was quoted by Antara as saying.

He claimed that "before the reform era" he had frequently warned Soeharto to punish corrupt officials.

"What I received from him instead was months of cold treatment. He even refused to speak to me when we met," Probosutedjo told hundreds of party members and supporters.

In his address, Probosutedjo also expressed his conviction that Soeharto did not have any plans to return to the power arena as some have speculated.

Probosutedjo insisted he did not consult Soeharto or his children regarding his plan to join PNI Front Marhaenis.

Marhaenism was a term first coined in 1927 by founding president Sukarno, who was inspired by a poor farmer called Marhaen in Bandung.

Sukarno defined the Marhaenists as poor Indonesians who still had production tools, and the Marhaenism as a revolutionary movement based on nationalism, equality, humanity and cooperation.

Sukarno turned it into the base of the original PNI that he built in 1952.

Meanwhile, criminal law expert Barda Nawawi rejected on Friday the suggestion that Soeharto be "punished symbolically" to appease the public.

"If Pak Harto is guilty, then he must be punished, if he's not, then he should not be punished, as a false punishment would be a bad precedent for law enforcement here," Barda was quoted by Antara as saying in Semarang, the capital of Central Java.

The Diponegoro University professor said that if Soeharto was guilty, he should be punished, bearing in mind his services for the country.

"Whether it meant a lighter sentence, leniency, an amnesty or otherwise, they (the options) should be part of the court's sentencing process," he said. "What's important is that the investigation into him must be conducted in a transparent manner." (swe)