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