The Bank Bali conspiracy

The Bank Bali conspiracy

In front of House Commission VIII for the state budget and finance (former Bank Bali president) Rudy Ramli told a number of truths. It can no longer be denied that a number of officials and individuals close to President B.J. Habibie are involved in the scandal. Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto and Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) chairman Glenn Yusuf have since affirmed the involvement of that unequaled individual named Arnold Ahmad Baramuli. Apart from Baramuli, the names of Tanri Abeng and Muladi were also mentioned. These latter two were not just named, they were said to have played a part in expediting the irregular disbursement of money in the case.

And that was not all that came to light. The results of the PriceWaterhouseCoopers' audits that were published point to further suspicions. It is said that the audit document currently in circulation is a censored version, in which the names of certain important individuals contained in the original version, have been deleted to spare them any public embarrassment.

In the meantime, the greater the depravity and the extent of the involvement of these persons is revealed, the harder they try to vindicate their positions through numerous arguments. Baramuli, who is mentioned as having played a part in facilitating the disbursement of the money, and in having Rudy Ramli issue a written denial, is making himself sound more and more like a wise old grandfather every time his involvement in the scandal is revealed.

But the public's common sense and conscience are not so deficient as to render them unable to smell the stench that oozes from those statements. People are not so stupid as to believe each and every denial made by people like Baramuli. To the public, it is becoming clearer and clearer that a cover-up attempt on a grand scale is being attempted over the Bank Bali case.

The unfortunate thing is that those who should be feeling the pain, and owe the public an apology, are instead loudly blaming the public on any pretext. Elsewhere, officials may have to resign or may even commit suicide for so much as issuing a wrong statement. Here, it is those who are speaking the truth who must live in fear.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta