The Kafkaesque scenario of Indonesia at the precipice of a socio-economic political collaspe brings forth some public statements from public officials and their cronies that are indeed bizarre. But for their hurtfulness, insincerity, and timing in these catacylsmic times in Asia, they would have passed for jokes and the acts of comedians. One has to ask: Are these for real? Are these people really dead serious about their words? Or do these people live in a different planet and are just plainly out of touch with reality and disconnected?

First, let's update the Indonesian reality:

-In East Java, Muslims linked to Chinese who are sympathetic to Chinese Indonesians are subjected to harrassment, violence, and burning of their homes. Huaren is pained by these acts and extend our support towards our friends who have stood up for justice, compassion, and racial harmony.

-All across Indonesia, in Irian Jaya, East Java, and many regions, lawlessness, lootings,ethnic Chinese persecution and acts of violence continue unabated, with Indonesian police and military standing on sidelines, and extorting money from Chinese Indonesians for selective

protection.

-Chinese Indonesians are fleeing Indonesia in fear and in disgust; some Chinese families, out of desperation, have had their daughters put up to foreigners for marriage just to get out of

Indonesia and stay alive. What do we have, in turn, coming from public officials, inside Indonesia, and neighboring Malaysia, and their Huaren cronies?

- Habibie telling the Washington Post last Sunday that it was not important to restore business confidence of the Chinese Indonesian community, adding that "others can take their place."

- Indonesian Food Minister Saefuddin. telling reporters that food looting is within tolerable levels, and that looters could be tolerated if they took no more than five(5) per cent of any

stock.

- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir, telling Malaysians not to criticize the Indonesian government about the riots and the ethnic persecution of the Chinese Indonesians; a double-speak which was a 180 degree turn compared to his posture denouncing the atrocities and

ethnic cleansing in Bosnia against the Muslim Bosnians by the Serbians, and equally strong denunciation of Kosovo violence perpetrated by the Serbs against the Muslims in Kosovo.

-Habibie is going to gift to Suharto a retirement home in the sum of 26.5 billion rupiahs, while the average Indonesians suffer, and the economy collaspes.

Today, the Straits Times reported that Habibie met the so-called business leaders (more like the Suharto cronies) of 10 of the largest business groups controlled by so-called ethnic Chinese.

Mr. Ciputra, of the Ciputra group, had to gall to say:

"We can already see that conditions in Indonesia are improving and are confident that the current government can help the economy recover."

For the record, none of these so-called Chinese business leaders have had their daughters and children gang-raped, brutalized, and killed. None, with all their financial resources and enormous potential for extending assistance to the victims, have bothered to help the victims and the victims' families. Global Huarens have not had a whimper from these so-called "Chinese business leaders" condemning the gang rapes and their coming forward for accountability, redress, and pursuing the mastermind behind these heinous atrocities.

If you just change "Suharto cronies" to 'Habibie cronies," they are the same set of players. Instead, what do we have? More winnercratic politics, crooked cronyism, fudging, forked tongues, doublespeak, insincere hypocritic statements calculated to protect their own

pocketbook, and to further exploit and plunder Indonesia, at the expense of the small guy.

Without flushing out and arresting the mastermind, without accounting for the culprits behind the heinous crimes of gang rapes and real sincere reforms to weed out institutional racism, cronyism, nepotism, and corruption, there will be no peace in Indonesia. As we write this, extortions, harrassment of Chinese Indonesians from Indonesian officials, from top to down,

continue with a virulence and rapacity that is contemptible, in the streets, in the neighborhoods, and even on the road to the airport! The violence must stop. The mastermind must be arrested and publicly exposed.