End the Soeharto Era

End the Soeharto Era

At long last, someone in the Cabinet has the guts to publicly
unveil the face of the provocateurs behind the various conflicts
which have wreaked havoc in Indonesia these past two years.
Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono echoed what has been on the
minds of most people in this country when he said on Thursday
that the series of riots and disturbances plaguing Indonesia were
linked to the supporters of former president Soeharto.

Previously, the public has been left bewildered as government
investigators and the police repeatedly blamed nameless
provocateurs for the spate of violence. Now, with Juwono's
statement accusing followers of the former tyrant, the
government, which seems to have been at a loss in explaining the
violence in this country, may finally be getting somewhere.

While we leave it to the police and investigators to come up
with the evidence to back Juwono's assertion, there is a simple
and logical explanation as to why most fingers have pointed at
Jl. Cendana: Soeharto, his family and their supporters are about
the only group in this country which has the most to lose from a
peaceful and democratic Indonesia. A stable Indonesia with a
stable government will, sooner or later, go after them and their
ill-gotten wealth.

But they know that the nation will prosecute them not solely
for the wealth they plundered for 32 years, but more importantly
for the endless power abuses that Soeharto, his children, his
generals and supporters committed during his entire regime. They,
more than anyone else in this country, have an interest in
keeping Indonesia in perpetual crisis.

Apart from having the motive, they also have the means to
cause large scale disturbances. They still possess the financial
resources as well as the political muscle -- with their extensive
network of support organizations built over 30 years -- to
inflict whatever damage they wish. They have the experience of
conducting intelligence operations; covert operations of terror
and intimidation propped Soeharto in power from 1966 to 1998.

The trouble with past practices of blaming the acts of
violence on mysterious provocateurs is that no one could act on
it. The police, the government investigators and the entire
nation were left completely powerless as they watched the country
degenerate from one crisis to another. By actually putting faces
to these provocateurs, it is now time to act.

The nation, because of its commitment to democracy, has shown
far too much tolerance of Soeharto, his family, cronies and
supporters. The newly elected government has proceeded too slowly
in prosecuting them for the abuses of power. In the meantime,
they have abused this tolerance to cause even more destruction.

With the death toll rising by the day in the violence in
Ambon, Maluku, Poso and other regions, surely we have long passed
the limit of tolerance. President Abdurrahman Wahid should use
the legitimacy and popular support he has to do whatever is
necessary to restore peace and order. If ending the sectarian
conflicts means taking drastic actions against Soeharto and his
supporters, then the President has the people's mandate.

The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which meets in
August, should enact a decree condemning Soeharto for the 32
years of power abuses. This would kill once and for all the
political power and any remaining ambitions, not only of the
ailing former despot, but more importantly of his supporters who
are still looming free and strong to inflict extensive damage.

An MPR decree condemning Soeharto would mark the beginning of
the end of the Soeharto era, and everything that it stands for.
It would pave the way for the government to round up his
supporters, who have caused so much trouble. An MPR decree would
allow the government to sequester the assets of Soeharto, his
children and cronies. The experience of the last two years shows
the legal approach to prosecute Soeharto is not only slow and
complex, but it also meets powerful resistance from his
supporters.

This proposed decree would be identical to the one issued by
the Provisional MPR in 1966 to outlaw the Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI) and to ban the dissemination of communist ideology
and teachings. The 1966 decree, now the subject of controversy,
effectively ended communism in Indonesia. Considering that
Soeharto and his supporters have inflicted so much damage on this
country for more than 30 years, -- and they are still causing
destruction now -- surely they, rather than communism or anything
else, represent the biggest threat to Indonesia today.