The healing power the overseas trips have given to the president has finally enticed Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to follow. The vice president is currently visiting a number of countries. She started by visiting Saudi Arabia, accompanied by around 30 people in her entourage. Along with her husband, three children, three children-in-law, and a number of senior state officials, Mega performed the umrah (lesser pilgrimage) ritual and her paid respects at the Prophet Muhammad’s tomb.

After being exposed to the scorching heat of Saudi Arabia, she opted next for a much ‘cooler’ destination. For three days from January 2, Megawati was in Switzerland where she had a meeting with the Deputy UN Secretary General and visited the Henry Dunant Center. Meanwhile, her children and in-laws used their free time shopping for attractive souvenirs typical of the alpine nation.

Just like any visitor to Switzerland, Megawati also did not want to miss the chance to ride a cable car to the top of a snow-covered mountain. On her second day, all 32 members of the entourage—including House of Representatives member Ahmad Sumargono—and 10 locals, went to have lunch at Piz Gloria Restaurant. The famous restaurant is located atop Mount Schilthorn, 2,900 m above sea level. The only vehicle available to reach the restaurant is cable car which charges SwF 100 or around Rp600 thousand per passenger. While waiting for their order, some members of the entourage were seen taking photos at the site once used for the shooting of the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

After Switzerland, Bangladesh and Malaysia are scheduled to be the next stops. In Malaysia, Megawati is scheduled to meet Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Malaysia’s Yang Dipertuan Agong Sultan Salahudin Abdul Aziz Syah.

With Malaysia being the exception, the vice president’s sojourn is actually not too politically significant. The visit to Saudi Arabia had a more personal significance as a Muslim rather than an official visit by a state leader. Her programs in Switzerland won’t add any credibility to her leadership either. The same goes for Bangladesh. In the end, there’s nothing left from the trip, except a question: what was it for?

Hutomo Mandala Putra, better known as Tommy Suharto, was so close to becoming a penniless fugitive. If only the request from the Attorney General’s Office to Bank Indonesia (BI) to block his account had been granted, Tommy would surely be a broke jailbird.

Lucky for Tommy, BI denied the request. According to Director of BI’s Legal Affairs Department, Sys Abadi, BI has no authority to carry out the request. "Bank Indonesia has no authority to block somebody’s account," he said, a day after Attorney General Marzuki Darusman made the request before the press. Sys said, the denial was based on the absence of regulation that oversees the matter in Law No.23/1999 regarding Bank Indonesia. "Bank Indonesia can only give permission for investigation into somebody’s account. But to block it, that’s not possible," he added.

According to Marzuki, his side requested Tommy’s account blocked because he still needs to pay damages worth Rp30.6 billion he inflicted on the state from the land-swap scandal between PT Goro Batara Sakti and Bulog (State Logistics Agency) in which he was involved.

Previously the AGO has also confiscated Tommy’s residence on Jalan Cendana 6. "There’s indication that the house is going to be handed over to another party," said Marzuki.

The police’s stunning achievement in nailing the culprits behind the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSE) bombing on September 13, 2000, will soon be tested in court. Following intensive investigation, the police seem to be all set. "The documents pertaining to the investigation of the suspects along with the evidence were complete and ready on December 26," said Chief of Detectives at the Greater Jakarta Police, Chief Commissioner Harry Montolalu.

This week, the suspects and the documents will be handed over from the police to the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office. The suspects concerned are Tengku Ismuhadi, Ibrahim Hasan, Irwan, Iwan, Ibrahim A. Manaf and Sunardi. Among the evidence is a Toyota Mark II used to plant the bomb.

It seems the police are determined to stick to their findings, even though some mysteries still surround the tragedy. For instance, Tengku Ismuhadi’s JFK-Krung Baru auto workshop on Jalan Warungsilah 99, Ciganjur, is still doubted as the place where the bomb was assembled. Not only the place is open wide, it’s also not too far away from the original residence of President Abdurrahman Wahid.

It’s only been a week since 2001 unfolded, yet those at the AGO are already busy with their work. The investigation of the witnesses in the big-time corruption cases started with the AGO calling a number of former senior officials of the New Order regime for questioning. Among them were former BI governor Soedradjad Djiwandono and former president director of the State Power Company (PLN) Djiteng Marsudi.

Last Wednesday, Soedradjad Djiwandono was questioned as a witness in the alleged corruption by Sidharta S.P., Director of Indover Bank Amsterdam, and Permadi Gandapradjada, Director of Indover Bank Hongkong. As the commissioner at both banks—the title is automatically held by BI Governor—Soedradjad is believed to have information of where the funds worth US$1 billion were smuggled to from the two BI subsidiary banks overseas.

The next day, yet another case awaited the son-in-law of Indonesia’s economic guru Sumitro. This time he was questioned as a witness in the case of BI Liquidity Support (BLBI) misuse. According to Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes, Bachtiar Fachry Nasution, Soedradjad is considered partly responsible in the outflow of BLBI funds worth Rp144.8 trillion to 48 banks. Previously, a number of BI Deputy Governors, such as Aulia Pohan and Iwan Prawirawinata, were also questioned as witnesses in the same case.

Last Thursday, Djiteng Marsudi was questioned as a witness in the case of alleged mark-up in the construction project of Paiton I Steam Power Plant (PLTU) in Probolinggo, East Java. The mark-up cost the state losses in trillions of rupiah. The investment fee of US$2.5 billion is regarded as exorbitant, considering PLTU Tanjungjati B in Jepara, Central Java, with the same 2 x 660 MW capacity, only cost US$1.1 billion to build.

President Abdurrahman Wahid has attended an event at Langitan Muslim Boarding School in Tuban, East Java, on January 7. It remains unclear though why the president was interested in joining the meeting between officers from the East Java Police and hundreds of kiai (Muslim leaders) from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization. The forum—initiated by Inspector General Soetanto, Chief of the East Java Police—discussed security conditions following the bombings at a number of churches in Mojokerto, on Christmas Eve.

Gus Dur’s visit to Tuban, amidst the political turmoil aimed at unseating him, has triggered suspicion that the former NU chairman is looking for additional advice and support from spiritual circles. Kiai Abdullah Faqih, head of Langitan Muslim Boarding School, is known as a senior kiai within NU whose advice the president always listens to.

Could Gus Dur be looking for power support from the senior kiai? "At least the kiai and the president could exchange information," the Chairman of NU’s East Java chapter, Ali Maschan Moesa, told Adi Sutarwijono from TEMPO.

According to Gus Mujab Fahmi, son of Kiai Abdullah Faqih, Gus Dur indeed wanted to meet his father, but it had nothing to do with the support for the president’s position. "Usual stuff, silaturahmi (visiting relatives) and halalbihalal (a get-together following the end of Ramadan)," he explained. The same explanation also came from NU Chairman, K.H. Hasyim Muzadi. "There is no political agenda. The atmosphere does not permit it," he said.

Johan Budi S.P. and Darmawan Sepriyossa /FR