Clan a Boon to Nation, Son of Suharto Says
President Suharto’s youngest son said Thursday that the first family had been good for Indonesia, but he understood that the scrapping of tax breaks for his national car project was in the interests of the country.
Hutomo Mandala Putra, known as Tommy, also said he believed that an agreement with the International Monetary Fund on economic reforms was not targeted at the Suharto family.
Asked at a news conference if the Suharto family had contributed to Indonesia’s economic problems, he said: “We have been good for the country.”
His comments were the first reported reaction from any of Suharto’s six children to the IMF deal announced earlier Thursday, which strikes at several of their business interests.
The abandoning of privileges for the Timor national car project by the government came after sustained pressure from the IMF.
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