Wiranto as vice president?

Whoever nominates Gen. Wiranto for the next vice president should consider the following facts.

1. Kidnapping, murder, torture, rape, excessive use of power to counteract demonstrations and crimes against humanity remain unsolved. The May 1998 riots in Jakarta, Semanggi tragedy, violence taking place in Lampung, Ambon and East Timor and many other incidents are believed to be orchestrated by the military to distract public attention. None of the culprits has been brought to court. This clearly indicates that Wiranto has failed in the task to maintain stability and hence has lost the people's credibility.

2. The tendency of Gen. Wiranto to cover up incidents and find third party scapegoats for wrong doings of his subordinates gives the strong impression that he is not the right man for such a prestigious post. He never visited the victims of the apparatuses' shootings in the hospitals to express his sympathy, but instead he blamed the drink and food donators for being behind the demonstrations. The military and police cannot even distinguish between riots and demonstrations. What a waste their training is!

SUSANTO

Tangerang, West Java