Sudomo, Sumarlin

Sudomo, Sumarlin and the press

Both Sudomo, chief of the Supreme Advisory Council, and Sumarlin, chief of the Supreme Audit Agency, have given information as witnesses to the Attorney General's Office in relation to the Bapindo credit fiasco. But Sudomo and Sumarlin behaved differently after the interrogation: Sudomo evaded reporters, while Sumarlin gave a press conference accompanied by the attorney general.

Sumarlin, right from the beginning, said that he was ready to give information concerning the Bapindo case and to appear as a witness in court if asked to that.

Of course Sudomo has the right to avoid the press. But in this era of openness this evasive attitude will force reporters to get information from other sources, which of course carries the risk of distortion. On the other hand, the press is supposed to present objective information to society.

So do not blame the press for incomplete information and distortion of facts, which results from the closed attitude of a first-hand source.

-Suara Karya, Jakarta