Indonesia's rich live in lap of luxury

Para Superkaya Indonesia, Sebuah Dokumentasi Gaya Hidup (Indonesia's Super Rich, a Documentation of Lifestyle); Veven Sp. Wardana and Herry Barus; ISAI, 1998; ix + 119.

JAKARTA (JP): This book is about a community of Indonesian super-wealthy "rare creatures" that very few know exactly the who, what and how of.

A super-wealthy class has never arisen in Indonesian history before. Information is presented lightly to provoke thinkers to produce more serious work about the community.

Each of the six chapters of the book tells of the lifestyle of super-rich individuals with unlimited money that the common people may find hard to comprehend.

The book vividly describes their shopping, traveling, partying habits; their super luxurious homes, furniture. Their extravagant hobbies are untouched by the crisis which is degrading Indonesia to pariah status.

So far, Indonesians have had to turn to foreign publications to get a picture of the fabulously rich because local media, print or electronic, have hardly exposed the issue. This is especially interesting because several Indonesians are on the list of world billionaires.

Forbes magazine of July 28, 1997 edition, for example, listed former president Soeharto, Mohamad "Bob" Hasan, Liem Sioe Liong, the Wonowidjojos, Eka Tjipta Wijaya, Mochtar Riady and Putera Sampoerna as among the world's wealthiest people.

The book is published with the intention of sharing with the general public the thrill of knowing Indonesian rich people's unusual lifestyles. They travel on their big Harley Davidson motorbikes, in flashy cars, custom-produced and designed, exclusive yachts and private jets.

Sudwikatmono, Soeharto's step-brother, Pontjo Sutowo and Abdul Latief are said to be ones who like traveling by private jet for their business image. A jet plane costs between US$3 million and US$33 million (Rp 24 billion - Rp 264 billion). It costs the owner some US$100,000 in maintenance a month.

Anisya, a businesswoman who is yet to finish her college studies, says she will spend no less than Rp 200 million each time she goes abroad for a 3-7 day shopping binge. When going shopping overseas, she will carry no spare clothes because she will buy new ones in upscale boutiques in Paris, London or New York (p.13).

Some wealthy people have formed the "Good Food Lovers" community to satisfy their gluttony. They will gather and eat expensive food, a lifestyle common among the wealthy in France in the 50s. The Indonesian wealthy adapted this lifestyle in the 90s. The community members are said to favor an odd choice of food such as giant shark fins and bear claws complete with the fur. Often, the materials have to be imported from the delicacy's country of origin (p.86).

Some of the wealthy people whose hobby is fishing have not only a yacht which costs between Rp 500 million and Rp 2 billion but they have also bought an island.

Many of the Thousand Islands in Jakarta Bay, for instance, have become the private property of some conglomerate owners. Pemagaran Island, for instance, belongs to Probosutedjo, Bulan Island to Siti "Tutut" Hardiyanti Rukmana, Tongkang Island to tanker tycoon Setiawan Djody, and so forth. The property owners build facilities like bungalows on the island so that they can go there any time they wish (p.88).

The lifestyle of the Indonesian super-rich is starkly different from that of their counterparts from other countries. The Indonesians' style is much more horrid than that of their foreign fellows.

Senior journalist Goenawan Mohamad, who writes in the introduction to the book about his experience when he visited the owner of a computer and watch giant in Japan. Although the family is exceptionally rich, even by Japanese standards, they live a relatively modest life. They have not built a family swimming pool or tennis court, which would be financially no problem.

The common perception that wealthy Indonesians adore extravagance receives credence from the style of their children who study in the West. In its August 1997 edition, an Australian youth magazine said that many wealthy Indonesian parents spoiled their children studying in Australia with facilities like a house, or even a villa with expensive furniture, and a car.

If in these days the super-affluent few travel on their private jets, spend several hundred million rupiah in an overseas shopping spree and have expensive meals in upscale restaurants, then the economic crisis affects largely the economists and the jobless.

But it is a fact that the few super wealthy people exist among the impoverished majority who have to toil day in, day out just to make ends meet.

This book makes interesting reading. It provides a rare source of information on the lifestyle of Indonesia's super rich people.

-- Kusbiantoro E.

The reviewer is an alumnus of Gadjah Mada University's school of sociopolitical studies and a Sinyal Foundation activist.