Sukarno's dentist telss of life with the big man
By Oei Eng Goan
JAKARTA (JP): A biography of a dentist who was brought up in three different cultures and whose patient list consisted of distinguished Indonesian nationals, including the country's first president, is almost sure to be a fascinating read.
The book is of special relevance now that the nation is celebrating the centennial birth anniversary of Sukarno, the proclaimer of Indonesia's independence, which falls on Wednesday.
Oei Hong Kian, Dokter Gigi Soekarno (Oei Hong Kian, Sukarno's dentist), published earlier this year, is a translation from the Dutch book written by Oei under the original title Kind van het Land.
Oei was born in a small Central Java town, Magelang, on Feb. 23, 1921, into an ethnic Chinese merchant family. Although he was educated at a high school (HBS) run by the Dutch colonial government, he was nevertheless close to the culture of his ancestors and was also familiar with Javanese customs and way of life.
After graduating from HBS, he continued his studies at the school of dentistry in Surabaya, East Java, but completed his studies in the Netherlands.
His biography, understandably, also contains records of events in Indonesia during the period of Dutch colonial rule, the Japanese occupation during World War II and the first 25 years of the independent government of the Republic of Indonesia. Many of the accounts given by the dentist can be considered records of events that have not been told by official history books, making them of even greater interest.
His distinguished patients in the 1960s were former vice president Adam Malik, Lt. Gen. GPH Djatikusumo, Lt. Gen. S. Parman, later to become a national hero, and then U.S. ambassador Howard Jones.
But, of course, patient number one was Sukarno.
In the chapter titled "Soekarno's dental treatment", for example, Oei describes how he was called in to treat Sukarno (he uses the old spelling of his name) in early 1967, the year that Sukarno, one of the world's most charismatic leaders, was on the verge of his political downfall.
Oei says he was already aware of the public pressure on Sukarno to resign. Banners emblazoned with messages like "Sukarno 1945, Yes. Sukarno 1967, No" were carried by student protesters as they staged daily demonstrations following the bloody abortive coup, allegedly launched by the Indonesian Communist Party, in September 1965.
Describing Sukarno as a warm and friendly person, Oei tells readers how antiquated the palace's dentistry equipment was, prompting him to bring his own more modern set from his residence to the presidential palace.
The most touching account is related of the time when Sukarno, on the instruction of his successor, Soeharto, was put under house arrest at his private residence in Bogor, some 60 km southeast of Jakarta.
Oei had already told Sukarno that he would move to the Netherlands because as a Chinese-Indonesian he was often discriminated against by Soeharto's new government. Sukarno in turn told Oei how lonely he was in Bogor because he was away from his children and appealed to him to help him somehow return to the capital.
Oei vividly depicts how Sukarno remembered and thanked him for the brief service he had given. Sukarno gave Oei an official autographed photographed, hoping the dentist would still care to phave a picture of a man who had once been respected not only by the Indonesian people and his friends but by his foes as well.
Fundamentally, apart from the story of Sukarno, one learns about the variety of cultures that Oei lived in. Perhaps this message can help readers to build friendships more easily and amicably with people of other ethnic groups and nations.
The book, published by PT Intisari Mediatama, is available in local bookstores for Rp 25,000.