More people today long for Soeharto's cruelty

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