Singapore, June 22, 1998

Dear Mr. Suharto

YOU ARE A MAN OF GREAT VISION AND COMPASSION [1]

Dear Mr. Suharto, Helo, how are you? My name is Susilianty Hardi. I am an Indonesian who lives in Singapore.

I have been following the development of the country from Singapore closely. On April 8, 1998 I sent out a letter to former Social Minister Mrs. Rukmana regarding the food shortage in Indonesia.

In my previous letter, I talked about the importance of overcoming the food shortage. I saw program on Malaysian television about generatingnew plants fast and strough in-vitro method. This method has been used worldwide. Many plantation owners in Malaysia use this method in their orchid garden.

I am very concern that with the basic food prices high rocketed, people in the country are not able to afford food. People will be starved in a matter of a few years time. With the high unemployment in Indonesia, many people lost their jabs and some family will go hungry because of it. Our country will go backward again.

I am very concern that current government will no able to feed 200 million people with the currency crisis on their mind. I believe that you are a man of great vision and compassion. You saved the country from a brick starvation before and you can do it again. Forgive me to write this letter and trouble you. Unfortunately, I can’t help the country much. What I learnt in University was not agriculture but business administration. I am anly a house wife who can contribute my thought and ideas.

Thank you for reading my letter and God Bless You. (DTS)

Sincerely yours,

Susiliany Hardi

Singapore

[1]       Dikutip langsung dari dalam sebuah buku berjudul “Empati di Tengah Badai: Kumpulan Surat Kepada Pak Harto 21 Mei – 31 Desember 1998”, (Jakarta: Kharisma, 1999), hal 598. Surat ini merupakan salah satu dari 1074 surat  yang dikirim masyarakat Indonesia dari berbagai pelosok, bahkan luar negeri, antara tanggal 21 Mei – 31 Desember 1998, yang menyatakan simpati setelah mendengar Pak Harto mengundurkan diri. Surat-surat tersebut dikumpulkan dan dibukukan oleh Letkol Anton Tabah.