"The Smiling General" is no more

Yes… it truly feels like an end of “something.” And I am fortunate that at this one of the most critical moment in the history of our nation, I am able to participate in the thick of the actions through my works in Metro TV. I’ve met so many prominent guests who are used to be close to Soeharto to be able to absorb their analysis and stories on Soeharto’s life and legacy.

Wimar Witoelar
One of the most memorable guest I invited to Metro TV to appear live in the studio last night during the English breaking news is WImar Witoelar. Basically, he said something close to this “I understand that at this mourning period, people are sympathizing with the former dictator and had temporary amnesia on what his mistakes and sins were. Everybody seems to jump on the wagon of “Forgive Soeharto!” movement. Everybody seems to have consensus sentiment of saying “I forgive Suharto!” But hey, I don’t think we have the right to forgive him, it is his victims during New Order era, all the activists he has kidnapped and killed during his rule, it is their family who has the right to forgive Suharto.” That’s a very strong and valid point Wimar expressed there. If anything, some people who said they have forgiven Soeharto are exactly the people who have prospered and benefitted greatly during his rule. Probably that would include myself through my family business who I must admit probably have prospered during his rule through monopolistic business system. (What some economists called the crony-capitalistic system) So, do we really have the right to forgive him?

Retnowati-Abdulgani Knapp (Soeharto’s latest biographer)
I invited Ibu Wati last Friday to talk about Soeharto’s legacy (at the time, Pak Harto hasn’t passed away, I think it is very timely that I invited the guest 2 days right before Pak Harto passed away)
She basically held a somewhat sympathetic take on Suharto. She said Suharto had to resort to harsh tactics in oppressing oppositions because of the circumstances forced him to commit those heinous acts of jailing, kidnapping, and killing opposition figures. He favored stability and order over everything, because he saw economic growth and prosperity can only be achieved under those circumstances. In other words, the ends justified the means. Ibu Wati also pointed out to me that he admired Soeharto because he is very open minded in his approach to governing, reflected in his decision not to interfere in formulating the New Order’s economic policy. He relinquished the authority over economic policies to the group of people simply known as “Berkeley Mafia.” Those people are the one who laid the foundation for the stable economic growth in Indonesia for 3 decades (free market, export-oriented, and foreign investment) But for the political and social sphere, Soeharto didn’t leave it to chance. He was a military guy, anyway… Pheww… so many things I absorbed during my conversation with Ibu Wati, I can even write a book based on our chat alone last Friday…. For now, let’s move on to the next guest…

Sugeng Saryadi
For this guest, I only watched his commentary on TV at MetroTV, when he offered his own interpretation on the event surrounding G30S coup allegedly done by communist. I have to admit his interpretation is the one that makes the most sense to me and what I have suspect so far to be the truth. Despite all the controversy surrounding the question of who masterminded the G30S event of the kidnapping and killing of the Army Generals on that historic day, one thing is clear, Soeharto’s move is purely instinctual and proven to be very decisive in changing the whole storyline of historical events which in the end propelled him to seize power from Soekarno. In Sugeng Saryadi’s word, Soeharto’s presidency is what people would call a historical accident. There never was a plan by him to seize power intentionally, he saw the opening to turn things around, and he took it. And as they would say, the rest is history….