Sukmawati rejects debate on Sukarno
Sukmawati rejects debate on Sukarno
JAKARTA (JP): Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, a daughter of the late
president Sukarno, has rejected journalist Mochtar Lubis'
challenge for an open debate on her fathers' involvement in the
1965 coup.
"I'm not interested in public debates and will go ahead with
my plan to sue him for insulting Indonesia's first president,
which is a criminal act," she said in a statement made available
to The Jakarta Post yesterday.
She said she would make the court an open forum for a public
showdown between her and Mochtar, who is proud to make himself
known as Sukarno's buddy.
Sukmawati's statement was the latest development in the
controversy over the role of president Sukarno in the Sept. 30,
1965 botched coup attempted by the Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI).
Mochtar was embroiled in a war of words with Sukmawati, who
claims to represent Sukarno's family, after he said in an
interview with a local magazine that the late president was
involved in the coup attempt.
The former journalist of the defunct Indonesia Raya was
commenting on a book written by Manai Sophiaan, Honor for the One
Who Deserves It, which exempts Sukarno from the coup attempt that
claimed the lives of six army generals.
Last week, he invited Sukmawati to hold an "open dialog" and
settle their dispute amicably.
Sukmawati has filed a complaint about Mochtar's allegation
with police headquarters. National police chief Gen. Banurusman
has announced his plan to summon Mochtar for questioning.
She gave Mochtar one more week to withdraw his statement and
apologize to the Indonesian people for "slandering their first
president."
"If he refuses this offer, I will return to police
headquarters to demand that he be tried," she said.
She argued that Mochtar's allegation was baseless because
Sukarno's involvement in the coup attempt had not been proven in
court.
"It's slanderous and he has violated the principle of
presumption of innocence," she said. "Even President Soeharto
says in his biography that Bung Karno (Sukarno) wasn't involved
in the coup." (pan)