Soeharto's illness

Soeharto's illness

The health of former president Soeharto has again become a hot
issue. A Bali Post reporter attended the wedding reception of
Soeharto's granddaughter, Danty Rukmana, on Jl. Cendana, Jakarta,
late last month. At the reception, the reporter saw Soeharto in
good health. He walked without assistance, and talked with his
guests just like someone in perfect health.

Actually, if we want to seriously uphold the law, or more
clearly, to more seriously bring Soeharto to court, why should we
bother with his reason of being sick?

Let the judges decide whether Soeharto is senile and which of
his words can be used as a basis for a verdict. The uproar about
Soeharto's health has reflected more the fear of public
prosecutors to make Soeharto appear in court.

If we look at the cases the Attorney General's Office uses to
prosecute Soeharto with, they are very trivial, namely cases
involving the foundations that Soeharto once chaired. They are
only administrative matters. Why aren't the financial sources of
the foundations investigated? Aren't they related to the abuse of
power? Aren't there any other authorities that Soeharto has
abused during his 32-year presidency?

It's a legal comedy that is devoid of any funny elements but
the impact has been deeply and widely felt on law enforcement.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta