The second president of Indonesia

An editorial on Soeharto, by somebody in my office whose insight, journalistic, and writing skills never fail to amaze me …

Don’t know if he realizes it, though …

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Soeharto

It is almost inevitable that former President Soeharto's illness has once again split his countrymen and women into two opposing camps: those who want to see his trial for corruption and human rights abuses resumed, and those who advise to simply pardon the 86-year-old former leader. And to be fair, both sides can make a valid point.

No one, not even his most ardent adversaries, can deny that it was Soeharto who in the late 1960s led the country away from the brink of economic collapse, ushering in more than three decades of relative prosperity for not only the already well-to-do, but for most of the Indonesian population as well. Under his regime, Indonesia attained self-sufficiency in rice and was help up by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) as a model of success.

No less visible were the achievements in the industrial and services sectors. Banks and factories arose as foreign investments and loans poured into the country. Soeharto approached the problems of development with the same pragmatism and feel for tactics and strategy that had brought the five-star general success in the military field. Few Indonesians during those years knew, or cared, that much of the money used for development was borrowed money and would have at some point to be repaid.

But the country's per capita income surged, lifting Indonesia out of the rank of the poor countries of the world and into that of the middle-income countries. For that reason, his 32-year rule is still remembered by many Indonesians in the lower strata of society with a certain nostalgia. “Jobs were easy to get,” is now a familiar phrase among the millions of Indonesians who are denied the fruits of the reform era.

But in spite of all the good which Soeharto's New Order has brought, resentment had been simmering long before the Asian economic and financial crisis exposed the rot beneath the surface of progress, exemplified most of all by the sub-culture of corruption which 32 years of iron-fisted rule under Soeharto had created. Remembered too are the gross human rights abuses committed under his regime.

The question now is, should or shouldn't Soeharto's trial be resumed? Despite an earlier decision by the Attorney General's Office to halt all investigations into Soeharto's alleged wrongdoings during the 32 years that he was in power, demands are still strong that he be tried. On the other hand, however, there seem to be just as many who prefer to see the investigations halted.

We, for our part, share the view offered by our former President Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who has proposed that the investigation and trial of Soeharto be resumed, and then leave it to the people whether or not to pardon him.

In other words, let's have justice tempered by mercy. After all, much of the truth of what actually happened during the Soeharto years is still in the dark and needs to be uncovered—something that only an impartial trial could achieve.