`Untouchable' Tomy should thank Saddam

`Untouchable' Tomy should thank Saddam

Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,
korpur@yahoo.com

The live TV coverage of the "consultation meeting" of
notorious businessman Tomy Winata with the House of
Representatives Commission I on Monday brought to mind the
appearance of the legendary Mafioso Al Capone in the Untouchables
movie and TV series; of course, without the presence of federal
agent Elliot Ness.

Tomy's lawyers or loyal followers may protest this comparison,
but it's only an imaginary comparison.

For Tomy, the meeting may likely be among his most humiliating
15 minutes of infamy. The legislators grilled Tomy, rumored to be
one of the most feared tycoons in the country, for nearly four
hours. He was treated like a defendant and at least two TV
stations broadcasted the hearing live -- all because a protest on
March 8 by his supporters against the Tempo weekly had involved
intimidation and violence against the editors and journalists.

They were upset on the weekly's report which quoted an
anonymous source saying Tomy had offered a proposal to renovate
the Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta prior to the fire which
destroyed it. The report also published his denial.

In the meeting with legislators Tomy tried to hide his
resentment when questioned about his alleged role in drug
trafficking, gambling, and in the July 27 riots in 1996 to remove
Megawati Soekarnoputri from the then-Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI).

He was seated in the same row with Tempo weekly magazine chief
editor Bambang Harymurti, who had experienced the banning of
Tempo with two other media in 1994 for their critical reports.

Tomy tried to convince Commission I members that his only
ambition was to serve his beloved nation, to help the poor, to
hire the jobless and to help drug victims.

Renowned for his close relations with nearly all top level
officers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police, he
appeared like an ordinary businessman during the meeting with
legislators.

"Do not be deceived by his appearance like the Angel Gabriel,"
legislator Trimedya Panjaitan said.

Legislator Achmad Sumargono told the businessman not to be
arrogant and reminded him to learn from the cronies of former
president Soeharto, who fell along with the former ruler.

The legislators deserve praise for never hinting at
discriminatory remarks against the 45-year-old Chinese Indonesian
businessman, unprovoked by the earlier discriminatory statements
made by Tomy's close aide David, alias A. Miauw.

It is likely that Tomy's enemies and others who do not like
the way he runs his business, cannot hope for any change in him.
He may assume a lower profile in public, but his business empire,
power and perceived character will likely remain untouchable.

It is yet to be seen whether the media can last long in their
"war on thuggery", their efforts to uphold justice and to urge
the government to punish those who are responsible for the attack
against Tempo, including the physical abuse of its chief editor
and former astronaut candidate Bambang.

Routinization will pose a challenge to the media's struggle in
this respect.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will also be quite helpful,
albeit unintentionally, to Tomy in the next few days, because
when the United States eventually invades Iraq, news on the war
will dominate the headlines. The police will be busy anticipating
possible anti-U.S. protests throughout the country, despite
demands that Tomy's case remain a priority.

The House has vowed to crack down on any thuggery; yet almost
none of the hundreds of mega-corruption scandals have been
resolved. From President Megawati to her ministers and to
anticorruption officials, from judges to prosecutors, from police
and to religious leaders, all condemn corruption, but what have
they done to live up to their own vows? The executives of Lippo
Bank remain untouchable, although their crime is obvious to
ordinary Indonesians.

Protection of press freedom cannot be expected from the
Cabinet, while the President herself often lashes out at the
media.

Tomy Winata has become controversial just because his name is
often spoken in the same breath as dirty business, violence and
arrogance, and the people around him are overconfident about
their boss's supremacy. Regardless of the truth behind the
allegations, Tomy's image drives fear into many people.

Many other conglomerates are no cleaner than Tomy's, but have
never been grilled in public. TNI generals and top brass of the
police have denied the rumors that they received "protection"
money from Tomy, and time will tell of the efforts to clear up
such rumors.

Legislators also told the media that they must learn from the
many cases of dissatisfaction over press coverage, from
sensational news to pornographic reports.

Tomy himself will most likely recover quickly from Monday's
embarrassment, and many will continue to pay their respects to
the Don.

And like watching the Untouchables, people soon leave the
cinema after the end credits to return to their ordinary lives.

Will we also forget such cases of violence?