The emperor is sick

The emperor is sick

The strongman former president Soeharto has been often likened
to an emperor with absolute power. Although he has been reported
a number of times as being very sick and was rushed recently to
the hospital for an appendectomy, he is a free man.

He is no longer confined to his bed, to his house, to his
city, or to the country for that matter. His case before the
court has almost been forgotten. He might even try putting if
only his loyal friend (Bob Hasan) would lend him a golf club.

He might also be congratulated that his famous son, Tommy, has
not been discovered in his hiding place. Perhaps the emperor
knows where the fugitive is now.

Interestingly, Soeharto's children are gradually coming to
center stage, one by one. There is no need to mention their
names. But, like their father, they have to prove that they are
innocent in whatever shady dealings at the detriment of the
state. Somehow, I have a hunch they will escape the dragnet of
justice.

Pretending to be sick is a ploy that may only be used by an
important player in history, like masseur Suwondo, who suddenly
had to undergo heart surgery. Of course, he will be too sick,
with a doctor's note, to sit in his chair before the court.

The former absolute ruler should also be happy that the cries
to find his allegedly illegally accumulated wealth stashed in
foreign banks have practically died down. The public's attention
depends to a great extent on how the media react to the latest
issue, which is now white book versus memorandum.

Or it may be about the proposal by the Supreme Advisory
Council that President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid be made
temporarily nonactive and that Megawati become the de facto
president of the country, while Gus Dur is on sick leave. But the
cleric President has sneered at the idea.

What is evident now is that the influence of the New Order
(Soeharto's era) is more tangible than ever, given that some
people are connecting President Abdurrahman Wahid with the New
Order, as he once served as a member of the People's Consultative
Assembly, appointed by the Soeharto administration.

Does Soeharto still think of the fate of the people who have
fled Sampit (Central Kalimantan) as a result of ethnic violence,
or from rising flood waters or from earthquakes. Why should he?
Even Gus Dur has left the country.

Even the national currency has withstood the pressure to stay
below Rp 10,000 against the US dollar. Soeharto has nothing to
worry about. His children are smart enough to have some dollars
hidden away somewhere, but certainly not in the bunkers under Jl.
Cendana.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta