Roundup: Dissatisfied Reactions to Failure of Soeharto Trial

Dissatisfaction arose following the absence of Indonesia's former President Soeharto on Thursday from the court for the trial of a corruption case.

The 79-year-old man was reportedly still not in a good shape after a series of stroke attacks. His communication skills as well as his nervous system and memory were obstructed, according to a medical team report read out by Soeharto's lawyers in the opening of Soeharto's trial.

The court room, located at the Agriculture Ministry building in South Jakarta district, early in the morning had been packed by hundreds of journalists, both from foreign and local media as well as hundreds of attendants, who were interested in getting a look at the former ruler in the court room.

However, they felt very disappointed when Soeharto, who ruled the country with an iron hand for over three decades before stepping down in May 1998, failed to appear before the court for medical reasons.

Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian Parliament A. M. Fatwa said, "I am sure that the public also felt disappointed due to the absence of Soeharto."

Such disappointments were understandable perhaps, as the reform movements in the country have strongly demanded the trial of the ailing former ruler.

And the absence of Soeharto from Thursday's hearing also seemed to be hard to accept by students in the country. They even threatened to stage what they called a "people trial" of Soeharto and demand that he take responsibility for the many mistakes in his three decades of rule.

It seems that most of the "reform parties" here refused to accept the medical reasons issued by Soeharto's medical team.

"We don't care about the health condition of Soeharto. We just want him to be tried and jailed," a protester screamed when joining a rally near the Agriculture Ministry building, where the hearing was taking place.

The opening day of Soeharto's trial had been originally scheduled to hear the reading of charges by prosecuting attorneys, but the agenda was canceled as the defendant did not show up before the court.

Soeharto, a former five-star general known as "the smiling general," faced serious health troubles, in particular in terms of communication skills as he could not speak very well due to a series of strokes after stepping down from the presidential office. According to a doctor observing Soeharto's health, the former strong man's brain has also suffered damage, but he is "physically healthy."

The doctors also said Soeharto also has problems with his kidneys.

The South Jakarta District Court earlier had already received at least two boxes and a suitcase filled with documents confirming Soeharto's misdeeds.

The former president has been charged by state prosecutors with allegedly misusing some 1.4 trillion rupiah (155 million U.S. dollars)and 416 million U.S. dollars of state funds that had gone to his seven tax-free charity foundations.

He is principally charged with violating article 1 (a) of Corruption Law No. 3/1973 and he is also subject to a subsidiary charge under article 1 (b) of the same law with abuse of power, which causes losses to the state.

Based on the country's criminal code, Soeharto, if convicted, faces a maximum life sentence and a minimum of 20 years in jail plus a maximum fine of 30 million rupiah.

If this happened, Soeharto would be the first former leader in the country who probably would spend the rest of his life in jail. But it seems that such a "historical story" will not come true as President Abdurrahman Wahid has promised to pardon him.

Most people here want a fair and open trial process, free from any government intervention.

"Soeharto's trial should be carried out independently," a spectator screamed outside the court room.

But Soeharto failed to appear. The people's hope for the supremacy of law, which had been high over past two years, seemed to be dashed again.

Now they would have to wait for another month or even longer to see the completion of Soeharto's trial.

Observers here predicted that the trial process will take a long time before a verdict could be reached. If the trial in the end fails to meet the people's demand, it would not be beneficial for the country.

The trial of Soeharto will be the first test case for the country in upholding the supremacy of law. If it is successful it will clear the way for speeding up the reform process, but if it fails it will trigger fresh social turbulence in the country.

Meanwhile, economically, the trial has affected the country's currency and share prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX).

The rupiah and the JSX composite index have been under pressure over the past three days ahead of the opening of Soeharto's trial. Dealers said widespread worries over possible unrest to be caused by Soeharto's supporters have triggered panic among investors and market.

But, in fact, on the opening day of the Soeharto trial, the rupiah edged up and traded at 8,295/8,315 per U.S. dollar on Thursday morning, compared with 8,370/8,400 on the previous day.



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