Facts behind 'Supersemar' buried with 'Pak' Jusuf

Facts behind 'Supersemar' buried with 'Pak' Jusuf

Former minister of defense/Armed Forces commander Gen. (ret)
Muhammad Jusuf passed away last Wednesday. There are several
points to be noted about his death. First, because he was a real
general who showed genuine empathy and compassion toward his
soldiers. It is no wonder that soldiers idolized him for his
efforts to improve their lives.

He was also popular among soldiers for his impromptu visits to
military and police barracks, and for instructing that the
rundown barracks be repaired.

During his five-year term in office as the minister of
defense/Armed Forces chief, Jusuf made 172 official visits over
411 days covering a total distant of 580,000 kilometers.

When he headed the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) from 1983 to
1993 he proved that he was clean. In his speech at his
inauguration as BPK head, he said that members of the BPK must be
clean before auditing anything.

Another important point was his role on the drawing up of and
issuance of Surat Perintah 11 Maret (March 11 Order, Supersemar),
which authorized then Lt. Gen. Soeharto to take over presidential
power from Sukarno. Jusuf was one of three generals who took the
letter to Sukarno at Bogor Palace for signing. No one has ever
known the true story behind making of the Supersemar and this
became a national mystery. And it will remain a mystery now that
Jusuf has passed away. Yet no one knows where the original copy
of the Supersemar is, which has led to doubts of authenticity.

Security, unity and political reasons could have been behind
Jusuf's silence on the matter. From a historical point of view we
regret Jusuf's stance because the real facts behind the drawing
up of Supersemar and the original's whereabouts will remain
unrecorded in the annals of history. -- Kompas, Jakarta