Paranormals predict 1997 will be gloomy

As 1996 draws to a close, people everywhere are attempting to evaluate their past performances -- their failures and successes. Their plans for 1997 will be based on this evaluation. Some are optimistic, others pessimistic about their future. To get a brief overview of the expectations in 1997, a team of The Jakarta Post reporters have interviewed soothsayers, government officials, business executives and artists, seeking their comments and predictions. The results are presented below, and in related stories on Pages 6 and 13.

JAKARTA (JP): We say life is a mystery. We don't know why things happen or what will happen in the future. But there are some people who claim they can actually see the future. Soothsayers or paranormals, with the help of supernatural power, predict 1997 will be an unfavorable year.

Four soothsayers, Mama Terate, Permadi Satriowiwoho, Leoni Fatimah or Putri Wong Kam Fu and Ki Mahmud Jaya Kusumonegoro, better known as Ki Ageng Selo, told The Jakarta Post separately they foresaw unpleasant things in the coming year.

According to them, 1997 will see more natural disasters and riots. Their statements may not be 100 percent accurate, but there is a common thread to their predictions: 1997 will not be better than 1996. In fact, people will have to work harder in 1997 because they will face more difficult situations.

Below are excerpts from their predictions.

Ki Ageng Selo: The year of 1997 will not be better than 1996. Wicked people will be more vicious. Those in power will be more arrogant and mean. People who are deriving wealth in 1996 from corruption, collusion and manipulation, will enjoy the "fruits" of their labors. On the other hand, many good people will suffer.

According to the Javanese calendar, 1997 is the end of Cakrawati or the eight-year cycle. Violations of rights will climax in riots and chaos. This will be the end of many vicious things.

Only wise and noble people will be able to get through the critical situation.

The year of 1997 will be really important for us. Why? The situation will be hot, but it will be under control.

The election will run smoothly. The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), now torn by internal conflict, will see a brighter future. There will be a reconciliation between its chairman Soerjadi and (his foe) Megawati Soekarnoputri in April. Guruh Soekarnoputra, Megawati's brother, will be more active in politics, on the side of PDI. But Golkar will remain powerful and win the race easily.

Nature will not be friendly to many people in 1997. There will be more natural disasters and many farmers will fail to harvest their rice fields. There will be more airplane and train crashes, too.

Compared to 1996, the number of crimes will increase by about 20 percent in the first half of 1997. There will be a sharp decrease in Ecstasy cases after June 1997.

Four artists will die -- two of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and two from different causes.

Gendeng Pamungkas: l997 will be an unstable year for Indonesia.

A large number of serious factors will affect the country's economical and political activities.

Via a long-distance phone call from a foreign country, Pamungkas predicted political upheavals, bloody riots, human rights violations, East Timor and the greed of young officials would dominate the country's social and political scenes in l997.

A bloody riot such as the one in July 27 this year might happen again in l997.

Starting early January, several prominent politicians will be involved in serious disputes. The presence of the younger generation (the post generation of l945) in top positions will create problems in the economy and politics.

The International world will put strong pressure on Indonesia over the East Timor issue.

The ousted-PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri will lose her great popularity. But a strong and charismatic figure will emerge in 1997.

Mama Terate: The year 1997 will be an unfavorable year for everybody on this planet. The mood will be almost the same as 1996 and will be repeated again in 1998. There will be more cruel people at work in 1997.

According to the Chinese calendar, 1997 will be the year of the buffalo or ox. The tone of the year will be reflected in the life of a buffalo, an animal which is forced to work from its early years and is cut up for meat in its old age.

The only key to survival is watching your mouth. Your words can be harmful. In 1996 there were too many people arrested for discrediting the elite. They failed to control their speech.

Don't be egoistic, remember God and be honest in what ever you do in life.

Permadi Satriowiwoho: The year of 1997 is an "unpredictable year" because it is the climax of the "zaman edan," the crazy era. l997 will be rife with natural and human violence. There will be more natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons, volcano eruptions, etc. And there will be more riots, violence, murders and terrorism involving not only civilians, but Armed Forces members and government officials.

There will be many problems related to the general election (in May l997), there will be more violations and things will be generally chaotic.

In 1996, the violence peaked with the July 27 riots in Jakarta. It was followed by the murder of a Yogyakarta-based Bernas' reporter, Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, and the riots in Situbondo, East Java, in East Timor and in Tasikmalaya, West Java over the Christmas holidays. We will see what was behind them in 1997.

Now, we enter the zaman goro-goro or the era of unrest, a time when there is no room for bargaining and compromising in a natural way. This condition was predicted by Jayabaya, the king and scholar of the Kediri Kingdom in East Java in the early 11th century, in his writing Pasar ilang kumandange, or The market has lost its sound.

The years before 2000 will be gruesome. After the year 2000, Indonesia will regain its stability.

Now, people need to contemplate -- to look back at what they have done and arrange for a better future.

Putri Wong Kam Fu: 1997 is the year of the Ox. As you know, an ox pulls the yoke to plough the land and turn over the soil. Accordingly, in 1997 there will be a tendency for many things to be turned upside down. Many things will not go right. There will be many natural disasters and an increasing number of crimes, more sadistic ones too.

Compared to the previous year, things will become worse. People will have to work harder this year.

Celebrities should be wary of gossip, which could affect their marriages.

In fact, 1997 is not only the year of the Ox, it is the Year of the Fire Ox. Fire is not related to peace. The situation will be uncertain and chaotic. (sim/bsr/jsk/raw/07)