Sukarno's children vie for father's heritage<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Amid the media hype and public adulation marking
\nthe 100th anniversary of Sukarno's birth on Wednesday, the
\noccasion has in many respects been clouded over by arguments and
\nrecriminations over who are the true inheritors of the former
\npresident's legacy.<\/p>\n
While Sukarno's courage personified Indonesia's independence
\nstruggle and remains an example to be emulated, his teachings
\nhave been relegated to no more than a footnote in modern
\nIndonesian history.<\/p>\n
With the demise of the Soeharto regime, Sukarno's name has
\nenjoyed renewed popularity and political significance in recent
\nyears. This has been especially true since the ascendance of
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri, Sukarno's second eldest daughter, to the
\nvice presidency.<\/p>\n
But nowhere is the debate on the true legacy of Sukarno more
\napparent than between the Sukarno children themselves.<\/p>\n
Few would doubt that Megawati's popularity is in no small part
\ndue to her father's name.<\/p>\n
In a thinly veiled attack on Megwati's party -- the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) -- Rachmawati here
\non Wednesday chided the abuse of Sukarno's legacy for political
\npurposes.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a graduation ceremony at the Bung Karno
\nUniversity which was held to coincide with the centenary of
\nSukarno's birth, Rachmawati criticized the PDI Perjuangan --
\nwhich she referred to obliquely as \"a certain party which won the
\nmost votes in the 1999 election\" -- for adopting attributes
\nassociated with Sukarno but having little understanding of his
\nteachings.<\/p>\n
Rachmawati, who chairs the Bung Karno Foundation, charged that
\nthe party had been successful in the general election in large
\npart due to superfluous use of the Sukarno name along with
\ncampaign placards and flags bearing the former Indonesian
\npresident's image.<\/p>\n
\"Carrying around pictures of Bung Karno does not guarantee
\nthat those people understand the teachings of Sukarno,\" she said
\nat the ceremony, which was held at the Jakarta Convention Center
\nand was also attended by President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
Contriving terms such as \"de-Sukarnoization\", Rachmawati
\nlamented the various misinterpretations of her father due to
\nnumerous manipulations of his teachings.<\/p>\n
Rachmawati, three years Megawati's junior, remarked that the
\nmembers of the political elite had lost their sense of
\ncamaraderie and brotherhood and were instead resorting to violent
\nmeasures to pursue their individual interests.<\/p>\n
While she herself lamented the political exploitation of
\nSukarno's name, Rachmawati could not refrain from commenting that
\nthere were certain groups who were again trying to launch a coup,
\nsuch as experienced by her father in 1965 and 1966, in the name
\nof the constitution and democracy.<\/p>\n
\"Bung Karno always said \"if you want to catch the rats,
\nthere's no need to burn down the house.\"<\/p>\n
Rachmawati is known to have taken a less combative political
\nstance than Megawati in accepting Abdurrahman's embattled
\npresidency.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman himself in his address called for the Bung Karno
\nUniversity to straighten out the history on Sukarno.<\/p>\n
Megawati, who was also in the building at the same time to
\npreside over another ceremony, did not stop by the hall to attend
\nher sister's event.<\/p>\n
Likewise, later in the afternoon Rachmawati was absent during
\na large commemoration at the Bung Karno sports complex which was
\nattended by Megawati.<\/p>\n
Guntur Soekarnoputra, Sukarno's eldest offspring, said later
\nin the afternoon that the reason why his sisters did not attend
\nthe same events was due to their tight schedules.<\/p>\n
\"There are so many celebrations that we have to attend that we
\nhave decided to split up so that every event can be attended by a
\nfamily member,\" explained Guntur while refusing to comment on the
\npossibility of a family feud. (dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sukarnos-children-vie-for-fathers-heritage-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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