Sukarno's dentist telss of life with the big man

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.