National Scene 1997
Photo A/B/C: Scene
JP/alx, JP/msa, Antara
MAKING THE SCENE: President Soeharto and (ret.) Gen. Abdul Haris Nasution don their military uniforms once again as the Armed Forces accorded them the rank of five-star generals (left). R. Hartono (above, sitting left) replaced Harmoko as minister of information in June. Here he sits next to Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, Soeharto's daughter, who's profile increased this year as she successfully campaigned for Golkar in Central and East Java for the elections. Both are touted as vice-presidential candidates. Harmoko, as Golkar's chief, was sworn in as speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly in October (right). Sitting behind him are deputy speakers chosen from the Assembly's four factions.
Photo D/E/F/G: Election
JP/leo, JP/ben, JP/arf, JP
ELECTION FEVER: The dominant Golkar faction swept the May 29 general elections, winning 74.3 percent of the votes. An elections institute official counts the vote tally at a polling booth (extreme left). While election day generally went smoothly, the campaigns were marred by tragedy and saw the rise of a "Mega- Bintang" phenomenon in which supporters of ousted Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri joined with sympathetic supporters of the United Development Party (left). Among the campaign tragedies was a riot which broke out in Ciputat, South Jakarta (above), on the last day of the campaign. The internal turmoil within PDI caused a deep fall in their share of vote as their campaigns attracted little support (below).
Photo H/I: Hope
JP, JP/bay
NEW HOPE: Anisa Livia Ramadhani (above) was one of the babies born on Feb. 4 which saw the Indonesian population reach 200 million. Anisa was born at Pondok Indah Hospital, South Jakarta. Many also cheered when the Bantul court in Yogyakarta dismissed the case against Dwi Sumaji, seen here along with his family (left), who was accused of murdering journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin. The case was marred by speculation that police manipulated evidence against Dwi Sumaji. After a series of testimonies asserting Dwi's innocence, prosecutors asked for the case to be dismissed.
Photo J/K: Labor
JP/oby, Antara
LABORIOUS YEAR: Laborers waiting for work chat among themselves (above). The severe economic slump in the latter half of this year has prompted thousands of layoffs with more expected next year. As workers here began bracing for a tough year, 24,000 problematic Indonesian workers were airlifted home from Saudi Arabia by the government. Here they gather their bags upon arriving in Indonesia with an unknown future ahead (right photo).