The Soeharto show

The Soeharto show

The corruption investigation of former president Soeharto has
dragged on aimlessly for the last five months that it has become
nothing more than a pathetic little public show. The only problem
is that we are not sure who is the more pathetic of the two
parties in this spectacle: Is it the sick old man who is cunning
and still so powerful he does not have to answer to the law? Or
is it the government, that seems completely helpless in its
attempts to pin something on the man who wreaked havoc on the
nation during 32 years of misrule?

After five months, the investigation by Attorney General
Marzuki Darusman still has nothing to show since Soeharto was
declared a suspect in a multi-trillion scam involving his tax-
free charity foundations. Proclaiming ill health, the former
tyrant has defied one summons after another.

When Soeharto and his defense team finally agreed to meet with
investigators at his residence, on both occasions the questioning
was abruptly cut short by doctors because of his deteriorating
health. At the rate of one session and one question a week, the
investigation is not going anywhere anytime soon. Even the most
boring Indonesian or Latin teledrama would have ended or neared
its conclusion by now.

The government's decision last week to place Soeharto under
city arrest and forbid overseas travel appears to be a desperate
measure to revive public support, because the arrest will not
change the pace of the investigation. The arrest and travel ban
were poorly executed public relation exercises by a government
agency that knows it is fast losing its credibility because it
has been outwitted by Soeharto and his lawyers.

One can be sure that Soeharto will not leave the country any
time soon because Indonesia remains the safest haven on Earth for
him. Going by the experience of fellow fallen dictator Augusto
Pinochet of Chile -- who was arrested for months in Britain based
on extradition documents issued in Spain -- Soeharto would be
wise not to leave the country.

At this time, it may be worth pondering the question, "What is
the real objective of this investigation?" This is something that
the government of President Abdurrahman Wahid never really
spelled out since reopening the case in December.

If the goal is to show that justice will be upheld in this
country, then surely corruption, as bad as it is, is the least
sinful misdeed that Soeharto committed during his 32 years of
tyrannical rule. What about the atrocities, from the summary
executions of suspected communists to the killing of people in
East Timor, Irian Jaya, Aceh and Tanjung Priok? If the government
wants to show that justice and the rule of law prevail in this
country, then these and the other heinous crimes committed during
his reign should be the reasons for the prosecution of Soeharto.
Not corruption.

If the goal of the corruption investigation is to recover the
money which Soeharto is supposed to have embezzled, surely the
government should target his children and cronies who reaped the
most benefit from his years in power.

Earlier official and independent investigations determined
that 78-year old Soeharto owned very little and that most of the
family's wealth was in his children's names. If the government
were serious about recovering some of that money, then it should
sequester their wealth and property here and abroad. Indonesia
could learn a thing or two from the experience of the Philippine
government's efforts to recover loot stolen by Ferdinand Marcos.

Furthermore, the government's choice of investigating the
activities of Soeharto's charity foundations is not without risk.
If it's is not careful, the investigation could turn Soeharto
into a hero in this drama, because the charity organizations have
spent heavily building hospitals and orphanages and funding other
social projects beneficial to the public.

The corruption investigation against Soeharto now seems to
have lost all sense of direction. Yet, to a large extent, the
credibility of President Abdurrahman's administration hinges on
its ability to prosecute the former president. The government
needs to redefine its goals now if this investigation is to be
taken seriously by the public. This poorly scripted show needs a
new writer, or some new players. Most of all, it needs an ending
-- a happy one if possible -- and soon.