Tale of a village's soccer star who became president

WONOGIRI, Central Java (JP): He could have been a football star. Certainly his friends at the time considered him athletic and with potential. Instead, fate determined that he became president of Indonesia. He has been since 1968.

A new side of Soeharto that had not been widely known came to light this week when the 73-year old President returned to Wuryantoro, a tiny village where he spent part of his childhood.

Childhood friends of the President said he spent his teenage years playing soccer. He was considered a "highly skilled" player, the friends now reminisce.

"He enjoyed playing soccer and I used to called him Mas," says Loso, 72, referring to the Javanese term for older brother.

Another friend, Kasiran, 79, recalls that the President used to play as a defender, while he himself was a midfielder.

Times were hard then but this did not prevent the Wuryantoro boys from indulging in their favorite pastime.

The village boys used pieces of old rags rolled into a ball, at other times they used an orange which was burnt to make it softer like a ball, Loso recalled.

Initially, they played by a river but later moved to a field. Eventually, they also chipped in enough to buy a proper ball.

"After the matches we used to plunge into the river to wash up," Loso says.

Sardjo, 68, remembers Soeharto as a person who never discriminated against his friends despite their younger age.

He admitted, however, that he could never beat Soeharto's posture, which at that time was considered "bigger" than average.

"He was one good-looking young man. He was also respected greatly by his friends," Sardjo says.

Soeharto lived in the village with his uncle and aunt from 1929 to 1935 before he went to school in Wonogiri. He returned in 1939 but the following year he began his military career.

He learnt most of his farming skills on Wuryantoro's dry, infertile land.

On Wednesday, the President returned to the village to celebrate the National Day of Agriculture, National Day of Cooperatives and National Day of Family Planning.

Wuryantoro is now a prosperous village and was chosen as the cite of this year's anniversary to set a model for other villages in Indonesia to copy. (har/pwn)