Tommy marries his dream girl

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra, or Tommy as he is widely known, was married yesterday in a stylish ceremony that combined traditional Javanese regalia and Islamic ritual.

The limited number of guests who went to the Pendopo Agung Sasono hall at Taman Mini did not prevent the wedding of the prominent businessman to Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani, being the wedding of the year.

Cabinet ministers State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie and State Minister of National Development Planning/Chairman of the National Development Board Ginandjar Kartasasmita acted as witnesses during the religious rituals.

Virtually all the cabinet was seen at the ceremony, as was a host of the country's top business leaders. Some ambassadors were included on the invitation list that had to be expanded from an original 1,000 to 1,800 guests.

The widowed President accepted congratulations with his eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.

State protocol, including security arrangements, remained in force and guests had to pass through metal detectors.

Thirty-five-year-old Tommy, president of the widely diversified Humpuss group, and long considered Indonesia's most eligible bachelor, was the last of President Soeharto's six children to marry.

Soeharto, 75, has been widowed for just over a year. Mrs. Tien Soeharto, in the last years of her life, often publicly repeated her wish that her youngest son would find a wife.

It was a short courtship kept out of the public eye. News of the wedding only became public last month.

The 22-year-old bride, affectionately known as Tata, is a civil engineering graduate from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and has spent most of her life abroad. She is the eldest daughter of Bambang Sucahyo Adjie Soerjosoebandoro, a shipping executive based in Singapore.

The ceremony began with Tommy presenting his bride a dowry of a copy of the Holy Koran, a prayer kit, and 99 grams of gold.

It was followed by an elaborate Javanese royal wedding ceremony

With gamelan music being played in the background, the newlyweds were first led to another hall.

At the door, Tommy and Tata threw betel leaves, symbols of love, at one another. Tommy then stepped on a raw egg, and Tata washed his foot. This was symbolic of her love and loyalty.

Sungkem was then performed, when the couple shuffled around on their knees and begged for forgiveness from those closest to them. This was an emotional moment but the President managed to hold back his tears.

A rite that drew laughter was one in which female guests were invited to grab gifts if they wished their children to marry soon.

"Pity you won't find any Timor cars there," quipped the master of ceremonies, referring to the brand name of Tommy's "national car".

In another rite, when Tommy and Tata handfed one another, the master of ceremonies, second guessing what Tommy whispered to Tata, said: "I've met 1,000 fairies, but you are the most beautiful."

Tommy, in his bachelor days, was associated with celebrities like singers Maya Rumantir and Nia Zulkarnaen, beauty queens Indira Soediro and Alya Rohali and MTV host Nadya Hutagalung. None were present yesterday.

A happy and relieved-looking Soeharto thanked the guests, and turning to the newlyweds, said they should start their life together with strong faith. "When you love and support each other, you will eventually reach the coast of happiness," he said. (06)