Paranormals predict 1997 will be gloomy

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)