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.