Soemitro pleads for fair treatment of son Prabowo

JAKARTA (JP): The country's most respected economist Soemitro Djojohadikusumo appealed to the media on Thursday to be fair to his son, Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, discharged from the military for his role in the abduction of political activists.

Prabowo is the victim of "black propaganda", Antara reported Soemitro as saying.

He claimed the nation's print and broadcast media had gone overboard in reporting about his son's past activities and were actually committing a disservice by focusing all their energy on condemning Prabowo and the Army's Special Force (Kopassus).

Prabowo led Kopassus for three years until March when he was promoted to lead the Army's elite Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad).

He was honorarily discharged from the Army in August after a military investigation found that particular Kopassus units were involved in the abduction of critics of then president Soeharto, who is also his father-in-law.

A senior and middle ranking officer were also suspended although not dismissed from active service.

Many of the nation's media, particularly the newly emerging tabloids, have alleged that Prabowo may have masterminded many recent unsolved security disturbances, from the May riots in Jakarta to the mass killings of alleged practitioners of witchcraft and Moslem religious preachers in East Java beginning in August.

The joint fact-finding team assigned by the government to look into the May riots further fueled speculation about Prabowo. It noted that a meeting that he led with several politicians and activists at his Kostrad office on May 14 may have been connected to the unrest and should be investigated further.

Speaking to reporters before opening a congress of the civil service cooperatives movement, Soemitro said the "black propaganda" included the quoting of sources with questionable objectivity.

On alleged Kopassus' misdeeds, he said: "We know there were other units, and there were other military officers involved."

He contended his son was a gallant officer willing to take responsibility for his mistakes.

"But what about his superiors, the Army Chief of Staff and the Armed Forces' Chief of General Staff. There is a (military) saying that the two immediate superiors should know about any violations committed by an officer. So you know the answer yourselves."

Soemitro declined to disclose the whereabouts of Prabowo. Businessman Hasjim Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's brother, said last month that he was in Europe for medical treatment and also asserted Prabowo was the victim of a smear campaign.

Asked whether a military tribunal would help restore his son's reputation, Soemitro said it was a matter for the Armed Forces (ABRI) leadership to decide.

He added that Prabowo had already been severely punished, especially in view that all of his acts were done in the line of duty. (emb)