Uncover all bank scams

Following the widely debated Bank Bali scandal in the media, concerning allegations of the practice of "money politics" involving an amount of Rp 550 billion, I thank God that we still have a good Indonesian citizen, by the name of Pradjoto, an expert in banking law, who is brave enough to disclose the evil practices ruining the bank concerned.

This case leads the reformist group to have greater confidence that it is almost impossible for the regime that has become accustomed to using money as a weapon to realize its ambition to discard its old dirty habits. This is so, because some evil can only be covered by another evil, and this cycle goes on and on until there is an extraordinarily powerful force able to stop it.

Using common sense, I find it very hard to believe that, without foul play, it would be possible for Setya Novanto and Djoko S. Tjandra to arrange transfer of Rp 904 billion to Bank Bali on June 2, according to Kompas and Media Indonesia (Aug. 3, 1999), and force Bank Bali to pay out Rp 550 billion of that amount as a service fee. This is really beyond one's comprehension, because as a rule such fees do not exceed 10 percent. Moreover, according to the Central Bank governor, clearing between banks does not require a broker. This is nothing but an engineered case that is far from reality.

I would like to call on all small parties to make a concerted effort to consistently uncover this "money politics" practiced by the big party, which, we all know, was involved in unfair deals in the last June elections. Please be wise in pursuing your goals, all allegations must be supported by accurate data as well as strong arguments.

By investigating the bank accounts of both Setya Novanto and Djoko S. Tjandra it could be discovered where the billions of rupiah go and at the same time prove whether or not "money politics" really exists.

H. WISDARMANTO GS

Jakarta