Soeharto foundation assets

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 04/10/2007 3:11 PM | Opinion

Reading The Jakarta Post article Seize assets of Soeharto foundations (April 5), I only can implore relevant parties to keep their hands off these institutions. They run reasonably well by Indonesian standards, and if the government takes them over they will deteriorate, because the mind-set of those in charge will be stagnant and unprofessional.

The hospitals will become like general hospitals and the Rumah Duka Dharmais funeral service will become like the government's Yayasan Bunga Kemboja: a sorry, old-fashioned service with no service! Whereas Rumah Duka Dharmais provides a total, one-stop service in case of death.

When my husband died (fortunately for him at home) the household was asked for the sheets and string to screen off the bathing area (what a nuisance in this situation; they should have their own), and in between they asked for perfume and toward the end they asked for two pieces of batik cloth for the corpse. Who has those items readily available at such a time?

A dispensation letter from the authorities (because he died at home and not in a hospital) had also to be obtained by someone from the bereaved household. When I later asked how it would have been if the death had occurred in a hospital, I was told that I would have had to ask for a separate ambulance from the hospital to drive to the graveyard, because the Bunga Kemboja car is not allowed on the hospital premises. Again, what a stress (and extra cost), where we had been paying members of said Yayasan for more than 30 years. So, I decided to give up my membership.

Now, it is April, I have not even gotten a reminder for not yet having paid my membership fees since January. This shows how bad their administration is. On the other hand, Rumah Duka Dharmais takes care of every thing from A to Z, including paperwork.

So please, keep your hands off those institutions and better first take care of things that are in dire need of improvement, like rivers and draining systems, roads, transportation, government schools, hospitals and funeral service institutions, and the municipality administration staff that goes together with all this.

Mrs. SUHARTO
Tangerang, Banten

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