More people today long for Soeharto's cruelty

Praise Soeharto, the former Father of Development! Applaud the five-star retired general (after Soeharto, only very luxurious hotels deserve the five-star status!)

Why? Because only four years after his humiliating fall, more people now recall sweet memories of life under his rule and seem to have forgiven his relentless dictatorship.

Soeharto is luckier than Sukarno, the founding president of Indonesia and the father of President Megawati Soekarnoputri. When Sukarno became the object of adoration once again, it came many years after his death, and he was mostly idolized by young people who had never experienced his leadership. On the other hand, people have begun to show their appreciation for Soeharto while he is still alive, and this shown by the people who endured his administration.

For my argument to be seen in an academic light, I have to quote (of course only some parts; otherwise I will lose my bragging space!) the article by the famous Sidney Jones, Anatomy of conflicts in post-Soeharto era, about this new trend regarding Soeharto.

"It's no wonder that nostalgia for Soeharto is on the rise. From Jakarta to Medan to Makassar, the man, whose fall was so welcomed at home and around the world in 1998, is now seen as being tough and decisive," writes the Indonesia Project Director of the International Crisis Group in her analysis.

"Didor saja!" ("Just shoot them!") an Indonesian national convinced her, that the country would not have experienced any terrorist problems under Soeharto.

However, Jones also wrote, "But we need to remember that much of the turmoil we're seeing now has its roots in the authoritarianism and political controls of the Soeharto years."

Now, after using her internationally-recognized reputation for my own credit, I myself want to warn that it would be slanderous if you dare to conclude or to allow yourself to be even a little suspicious, that I am a Soehartoist before you finish reading this column. You are also childish if you simply throw out this newspaper only from reading the heading of this column, just because you hate Soeharto.

Trust me, I do not intend to appease Soeharto, because he cannot understand English and even if he read this, his impressions of this column would also be dubious because according to doctors, he is an invalid.

I write this, not because I am expecting a large amount of money from him, since he announced that he does not have even a single cent in the bank. (At least he is honest because the central bank, Bank Indonesia, no longer mints cent coins).

Now, people tend to remember the era of high economic growth from the 1980s until 1995. Soeharto's development strategy relied on the distribution of pieces of the development cake. He makes cake first, and of course his family deserves the best slices of cake, but they won't be able to eat the whole cake alone, right?

Corruption? Please be objective! Rampant corruption under Soeharto's era also generated income. Corruption from the topmost level to the lowest level of the bureaucracy (which also happens often in the private sector) means more opportunity to enrich ourselves. After thorough self-reflection, I myself must conclude that I hate corruption because I am a victim and have no chance to be the thief.

Even many foreign investors now remember Soeharto with respect. Under Soeharto's regime, if they won approval from the highest tier of government, it meant that they could go ahead with their projects undisturbed. The name of Soeharto or his children, or even his distant relatives, was quite effective in scaring away military or government officials.

What if I declared, "Being in favor with the top leader is enough, because this will frighten others," during the New Order regime? And what if I said the same thing now?

"Local officials usually just laugh, even if we threaten to report to Megawati that they asked for money from us," a foreign businessman recently complained.

Laborers had no choice but to accept the abusive treatment, because demonstrations were declared subversive. The brutal killing of labor activist Marsinah was enough to intimidate workers into submission and to convince them not to demand anything from their employers.

How about the business empire of Soeharto's children?

People hate his children for their greediness, but tend to (only) regret, and not condemn, Soeharto's failure to control his own siblings. This fact is undeniable: No one refuses to "donate" Rp 3,000 to Soeharto's eldest daughter every time they enter the Inner Jakarta toll road.

There were rampant human rights abuses, to which millions of people might become victim. There were fierce measures in place for those who were against Soeharto, and many of them simply disappeared. Mysterious killings were a popular pastime for the regime. No one wants the repeat of this tragedy, but can we also hope for no human rights abuses under the current regime?

Many military officers now complain about the civilian government. They are told to return to their barracks but to where would they return? The conditions of the barracks are so poor that it is more comfortable for them to stay in the streets.

During the Soeharto era, there were complaints that the career of some military officers skyrocketed simply after they were appointed Soeharto's adjutant, whose main duties included waking him up, bringing him his bags, and even cleaning his sunglasses. But how do we prove that the situation is any different now?

"Now, the human rights issue has become a ghost haunting us. In the past, we could carry out our duties much easier," is a common complaint among soldiers and police officers.

For ordinary people, Soeharto's rule meant they had a better chance of earning an income. Crime rates were also much lower, so people could walk on the streets at night without worrying too much.

They could make money to buy food, and Soeharto provided cheap medicine through his puskesmas (community health centers), although doctors allegedly often prescribed the same medicines for both toothache and stomachache.

One day, Bank Indonesia would possibly repent its own decision to withdraw the Rp 50,000 bank notes bearing Soeharto's picture. Who knows that there will be demonstrations to demand the return of the bank notes?

However, if the central bank reissues the Soeharto bank note, I hope the bank will withdraw from circulation the current Rp 500 bank note, which features the picture of an orangutan.

In the past many people joked, "A hundred apes are equal to one..." Isn't this a ridiculous joke?

-- Kornelius Purba