AFTER the remains of former Indonesian President, Suharto was laid to rest at his family cemetery in Bangun Giri, not far from the royal Solo mausoleum, the Indonesian faced a difficult decision.
When President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced the passing of Suharto, he pleaded for the Indonesian people to forgive and forget all mistakes and wrongdoings which have been committed by the former President in the 32 years (1966-1998) that he was in power.
But will the Indonesian people be willing to forgive? Many regard the late Suharto, who is known as the ‘Father of Development’, as the man who successfully built Indonesia, ensuring secured and continuous development in the country.
In the eyes of his peers, he has made a great contribution; a Javanese gentleman who is always calm and smiling even in the face of dire circumstances.
In fact, when trouble started brewing in 1997 following the Asian economic crisis, which saw the value of the rupiah collapsing, Suharto warned that he would take action against anyone who deliberately tries to overthrow him without due constitutional course.
His behaviour reminded many historians of the tale of Patih Gajah Mada, a commoner who rules Majapahit in the 14th century and whose power far exceeded his King’s.
With his ever-present smile, he was given the sobriquet ‘the smiling general’ by Western media, and was often likened to the Prambanan mausoleum relic which is over a century old.
When Indonesia’s first President, the late Sukarno, declared confrontation with Malaysia and was influenced by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) supported by the Chinese, Indonesia was thrown into chaos.
It was fortunate that on 30 September 1965 Suharto was visiting his child in hospital as otherwise he would have perished together with a group of generals from the determined action of PKI.
He was the one who led the Indonesian National Army in defeating the communist which by that time has already spread to Indochina, and was threatening Malaysia, Singapore and the Phillippines.
With three million members, the PKI was the largest communist party outside of China. Many PKI members were eliminated, including those jailed, such as Pramoedya Ananta Toer (a great literary figure who was once nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature).
In fact, Chinese culture and name was no longer tolerated following the event.
According to Western media, around 500,000 PKI members or supporters were killed. Thousands others were locked up in overrun jailhouses, such as the one on Buru Island.
With a strong anti-communist image and the establishment of the Pancasila (national constitution founded by the late Sukarno in 1945, but was not fully implemented), Suharto saw to the rapid development of Indonesia.
Indonesia, a nation at peace with its neighbours, has influenced the entire South East Asian region, leading to the establishment of ASEAN. The West, particularly the US its strongest ally, channelled in much assistance and investment.
From 1967 to 1997, the Indonesian economy grew at an average rate of 7 percent a year. The level of hardcore poverty dropped from 61 percent to 11 percent (before the fall of the rupiah in 1997). In fact, the family planning and health policy prevented Indonesia from experiencing a population boom.
Suharto never ran for an election. However, like a master puppeteer behind the screen, he was shrewd in strategising his moves.
By uniting various non-government groups which previously stood against Sukarno, the Golongan Karyawan (Golkar) Party – which held the largest majority in the House of Representatives (DPR) – was created.
Two more parties, the Indonesian Democratic Party and the Development Association Party (PPP), were not regarded as opposition parties, but instead was regarded as alliance parties to Golkar. Each election term, all three parties elected him without any opposition.
For six terms (five years a term), he ruled Indonesia with a firm hand, to such an extent that the communists, hardcore Muslims and other groups had no room to move, let alone organise an opposition. What little opposition that existed was in the form of the Independent Acheh Movement, the Maluku and Papua Movements which attempted to rise against the government, but were swiftly prevented from doing so.
Under such circumstances, the late Suharto rewarded stability to the great nation, 17,000 islands covering an area of 1.9 million square kilometres, stretching 3,000 kilometres long, end to end from Sabang (Acheh) to Merauke (Papua).
The words ‘peace’ and ‘good livelihood’ still linger on the lips of Indonesian citizens aged 35 and above as Suharto’s greatest contribution.
However, media research on the opinion of younger Indonesians aged between 21 to early 30’s shows that Suharto is viewed as a dictator who made Indonesia suffer from widespread corruption and the violation of human rights.
These two things are difficult to forget, said Indonesia’s renowned historian, Dr. Anhar Gonggong. Suharto should have stepped down in the early 1990’s, because at the time, Indonesia was at the height of its stability and development.
However, he was said to have been obsessed with power. In fact his ‘kingly’ attitude led to cronies befriending him, including a number of ‘cukongs’ (Chinese tycoons) such as Salim (Lim Soe Liong) and many more.
With his only wife, Siti Hartinah (Ibu Tien), he had six children whom he spoiled, so much so that every large project, from public utilities projects to the clove trade, was controlled by his children’s’ conglomerates.
He also established a number of foundations believed to have been used to channel billions in government funds. The Times magazine in 1999 accused Suharto and his family of embezzling US$15 billion. However, this accusation was argued in a court which eventually awarded victory to Suharto’s family.
However, since relinquishing his leadership in 1998, following the overthrown of the parliament building by students, Suharto had never been convicted in court. His illness was always used as an excuse.
Transparency International, an independent international organisation which monitors corruption, has found that corruption widespread in Indonesia. After four successive Presidents ruled the country, the problem of corruption has gotten worse. In fact, Indonesia was regarded to be unsafe, due to the activities of a network of Muslim fighters, including Al-Qaeda.
Thousands of people were said to have died or gone missing in Acheh, Papua all the way to Timor Timur (now Timor Leste), during Suharto’s reign. This is something that the Indonesian people will never forget.
Former Mining and Energy Minister under the ‘new world order’ (Suharto’s regime), Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, concluded: “He made many mistakes which had many consequences; however he used the central government to expedite development as fast as possible.”
At a time when the call for reform was aggressively pushed all over Indonesia, Suharto refused to budge or prepare a line of successors. This was his biggest mistake until the threat external threat – the Asian economic crisis that gripped Indonesia, which suffered foreign debts amounting to US$140 billion.
His personal skills was no longer enough to govern Indonesia, which should have had a pool of intellectuals and secure institutions. His biggest mistake was his failure to invest in good educational institutions.
Suharto was like a banyan (beringin) tree, which is also the symbol of the Golkar party. In fact there is a keroncong tune, ‘Pohon Beringin’. Although it is true that the banyan tree offers shade to many, it is also true that nothing can grow in its shadows.
Born on the 8th of June, 1921, in Kemusu Argamulja village, west of Yogyakarta in Central Java, Suharto was the only child from his father’s second marriage.
He had 11 siblings from his father’s side, including Probosutedjo, a tycoon.
His parents divorced and he moved from his mother’s house to his aunt’s, father’s and step father’s. In fact, he once lived in the home of Daryatmo, a spiritual teacher and healer, who became his advisor.
He was so poor that he could not afford to buy clothes or shoes to go to school. His education only reached primary school level. While working for a bank, he was asked for his resignation because his work clothes had been torn in an accident while he was riding his bicycle.
However, these early experiences were what compelled him to aspire to greater things and to build Indonesia.
The late Suharto has now been safely laid to rest, after 10 years of illness. The time has come for the Indonesian people to judge him fairly. |
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