Supersemar anniversary passes unnoticed

Supersemar anniversary passes unnoticed

JAKARTA (JP): "Do you know what's not reported at all in the
newspapers today?" a senior journalist here quizzed his
colleagues on Thursday, March 11.

"Supersemar!" he replied in the absence of response.

He was referring to the historic executive order signed by
founding president Sukarno on March 11, 1966, in which he ordered
the then commander of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command Lt.
Gen. Soeharto to restore order to a chaotic Jakarta following the
aborted Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) coup attempt on Sept.
30 1965.

The whereabouts of the effective power transfer document from
Sukarno to Soeharto remains a mystery to this day.

After Soeharto stepped down questions were raised again over
the circumstances in which the document was signed, including
allegations that the first president had been forced to sign it
at gunpoint. This has been denied by the only living witness,
Gen. (ret.) M. Jusuf.

Actually, at least one paper has remembered.

The Pos Kota daily, circulation 550,000, carried a report on
Thursday titled Anak-Anak Bung Karno: Katakan Sejujurnya soal
Supersemar (Bung Karno's Children: Tell the Truth about
Supersemar).

It cited the yearning for the "truth" regarding the document
among the founding president's children, including the popular
leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan), Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Quoted by the daily was Sukarno's youngest son, artist Guruh
Soekarnoputra: "The living historic actors should have the
courage to tell the truth about Supersemar."

Renowned weekly magazine, Tempo, in its March 15 edition
Monday published an interview with former head of the state
intelligence coordinating board (Bakin) Gen. (ret) Yoga Soegama,
who chaired the board from 1968 to 1969 and from 1974 through
1989.

"It must have been someone with vested interests who made
Supersemar disappear...," he was quoted as saying.

Yoga said the original letter disappeared once it was received
and taken away by Soeharto.

Up to this day, it is not clear when the original document
went missing, but some people have called the transfer of power
based on the document a bloodless coup.

Historians have said it is important that the original text be
recovered as it should shed light on whether Soeharto really
carried out all of Sukarno's instructions, which reportedly also
included orders for Soeharto to preserve Sukarno's teachings.

Following last year's reports over the missing document,
Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung has said the search for
the document was "still on".

Yoga had said: "It could have been burned by Soeharto, and its
ashes could have been imbibed by him." (aan)