When will Soeharto case be settled?
When will Soeharto case be settled?
From Pikiran Rakyat
From the time Soeharto stepped down from his presidential seat
in May 1998, an occasion which ushered in the reform era, there
have been many demands that Soeharto be brought to court. When
Soeharto was in power, corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN)
were rampant and these practices were very obvious to anybody.
It is true that there was an intention to uncover all
Soeharto's cases related to (KKN) during Habibie's era and that
such an intention is also shown by the present administration of
President Abdurrahman Wahid. Unfortunately, certain influential
hands must have prevented all these cases from being exposed. It
has been almost two years now since Soeharto ended his New Order
regime but, ridiculously, an investigation into his cases is
still far from being completed. Ironically, those assigned to
carry out the investigation are professionals in their areas.
Indeed, it has always been indicated that Soeharto, known for
his fatherly smile, is in the wrong but when it comes to the
judicial process. A host of reasons will be offered, such as
health reasons and weak evidence.
Waiting is the most boring thing to do. Likewise, the judicial
process of Soeharto's case is also boring. It is true that
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman has handled Soeharto's case
well enough. Soeharto, for example, has been declared under house
arrest. The attorney general has also stated his desire to settle
this case as soon as possible. This certainly calls for thumbs-
up. However, the people's patience is running out now. Will this
case ever be judicially settled at all or will it be settled by
the people's court?
This is a point worth wondering about. Can Soeharto,
Indonesia's former number one man, ever be touched at all, either
by a court of law or by a people's court? Even recent action
taken by university students as this country's agents of change
to press for Soeharto's trial by the people has virtually come to
naught.
So, our hope is pinned on the Attorney General's Office. This
office must be really serious in handling this case as otherwise
it will just be a dark number.
The most important thing in this regard is the willingness of
Soeharto himself to wisely confess that he has committed mistakes
and that he is willing to bear all the consequences. He has to
admit that what is wrong is wrong and what is right will remain
right, and not the other way around. Do not let the accumulation
of the people's discontent snowball.
DYAH SARININGSIH
Purwokerto, Central Java