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Suharto denies corruption claims
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CNN's Maria Ressa reports that students are still on the streets demanding former President Suharto be brought to trial
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Indonesian protesters want ex-strongman tried
May 21, 1999
Web posted at: 5:14 p.m. EDT (2114 GMT)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- A year after protests forced him
from power, former Indonesian strongman Suharto denied he
looted his country during his 32 years of authoritarian rule.
One year ago Friday, Suharto turned over the reins of his
military-backed government to his deputy and resigned. He
has spent the past year as a recluse in Jakarta, his home
guarded by soldiers, as demonstrators continue to demand he
be tried on corruption charges.
Riot police in Jakarta used tear gas against protesters and
fired warning shots Friday as hundreds marched on parliament
to demand an accounting of the Suharto family's hidden
fortune. Suharto, 77, vehemently denies he took any money out
of the country during his reign.
"It's a lie," Suharto said Friday in a televised interview. "If they don't have proof and facts to back it up, it's slander and defamation. Honestly, that's more cruel than murder."
An ongoing probe into the source of Suharto's billions has
been denounced as a whitewash by student demonstrators, who
accuse Suharto of looting the country during his years in
power. At least part of the investigation has been led by
former aides with close ties to their old boss.
Time Magazine estimated Suharto's wealth at $15 billion, $9
billion of which was transferred from Swiss banks to an
account in Austria. But the government announced it found no
bank accounts overseas and only about $3 million in cash and
assets inside Indonesia.
If investigators can find any money in international banks,
"Someone put it there in my name," Suharto said. "We'll
withdraw it and give it to the people."
Indonesians could get revenge at polls
Suharto's resignation came as Jakarta was rocked by student
protests and mired in the Asian recession. Vice President
B.J. Habibie replaced him and promised free elections, now
less than three weeks away.
Since his ouster, Suharto has been associated with everything
that has gone wrong in Indonesia, from its battered economy
to ethnic and religious strife.
Under Suharto, only three political parties were allowed to
operate in Indonesia. Now, 48 are vying for seats in
parliament when the elections are held June 7, and polls
indicate his ruling Golkar party -- now led by Habibie --
will be annihilated in the balloting.
"With him stepping down, we realized that the system was
really rotten," political analyst Soedhati Djiwandono said.
Suharto was an Indonesian army general when he seized power
in 1965 after a coup attempt he blamed on Communists. He
immediately launched a crackdown on the political left, which
by some accounts left hundreds of thousands dead.
Indonesia became prosperous and stable under his rule, but
the country developed a widespread reputation for corruption
as Suharto's relatives and top aides became hugely rich.
The deposed strongman says he has no plans to flee the
country, despite widespread rumors.
"Why should I leave? I was born here," he said.
Jakarta Bureau Chief Maria Ressa and Reuters contributed to this report.
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RELATED SITES:
Asia Society - Indonesia's 1999 Elections - A Second Chance for Democracy
Indonesian Corruption Watch
Golongan Karya
Indonesian Organizations on the Web
The Ultimate Indonesian Homepage
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