Indonesian Veterans

There was a dictator named Suharto. He ruled Indonesia as president from 1967 to 1998. We went to visit with Indonesian veterans in his house and went through the adjoining museum dedicated to him while we were there.

Suharto’s home isn’t normally open to random visitors like us. We were allowed in as a special treat offered by the brother of the house’s current owner. They had two lines of chairs facing one another in a long, otherwise empty room. The veterans occupied one side while we filled the other. Their idea of refurbishing takes a fair amount of artistic skill.

But first, the museum. The entrance had an open pavilion where the veterans can meet. This was in the process of being refurbished when we arrived.

This is the entrance to the museum. The museum takes up about the same floor space as the Spam Museum, including a handful of room. It’s a bit dark inside with most of the light reserved for the signs. Right past the front door is a tunnel that makes you feel like you’re on your way to another world. I hesitated for fear of breaking the lit up floor, but it was perfectly safe from me.

From there is was all about Suharto and his accomplishments. Near as I could tell, they didn’t mention that the first thing everyone thinks of in conjunction with his name is corruption.

Suharto was born in Kemusuk village, and grew up in nearby Yogyakarta. He was very clever in school but joined the military as soon as he could. He advanced quickly. When he reached the rank of Colonel, was ordered to lead a clash with the Dutch. This was during Indonesia’s bid for independence in the 1940’s. At that time Sukarno was president.

Suharto’s efforts proved pivotal, if not overwhelmingly successful. He managed to take over Yogyakarta for six hours. In that time he had Indonesia’s struggle for independence broadcast over every available radio. People in India caught the broadcasts and rebroadcasted it all over the world.

Later he was sent to West Papua to make it part of Indonesia. He succeeded and in the process won Sukarno’s trust. Sukarno asked the USA for support in fighting Malaysia, but didn’t get it because Malaysia was under the United Kingdom. Because he could find no support, Indonesia left the United Nations. Sukarno turned to the Communists, and got support from Russia and China. The Communist party brought a branch called the PKI into the country.

The Communist party got very large very quickly. A lot of the rural people were sucked in because the party focused on cultural things like women’s societies, farming, and youth. They didn’t push doctrine. Instead, they taught a song and dance, and provided stages for it. The song and dance was called Genjer Genjer. It’s now totally forbidden.

1965 the Communist party purportedly kidnapped, tortured, and killed six generals in the military, and dropped the bodies into a well along with three other people of note. The theory is that some members of the PKI wanted to weaken Suharto’s control of the military because those chosen were close to him.

Instead it caused an horrendous backlash. Everyone who was known to have joined the PKI was thrown in jail. Many are now missing. It turned into a witch hunt. Neighbors, especially in villages, used the purge to get rid of people they didn’t like by pointing them out. The official estimate of those caught in the sweep is 500,000 people. One book says it was closer to a million. International sources say 1.5 million. Others have said it was 3 million, including the disappeared.

This was called “30 September Movement.”

Because the Communists are Atheist, religion became a requirement. Now every Indonesian citizen must choose a religion. This is prominently displayed on their ID cards.

By the way, on the left is the symbol of Indonesia, the Garuda. The 45-17-8 which is the date of Indonesian Independence The motto is United in Diversity. Foundations of the country include One almighty god.

A document called the Order of March 11 names Sukarno as the one responsible for the 30 September Movement and put Suharto in charge. Sukarno was taken at gun point from the palace with nothing, not even a shirt on his back. He developed kidney problems while under house arrest, but only a veterinarian would tend him.

Suharto took control. He and his family became filthy rich during his 32 years of [residency. Swiss bank accounts, An amazing house, mining companies, and properties all around the world became his. All via corruption.

By 1998 people had their fill of Suharto and he was forced to resign. Indonesia went to Democracy. People became euphoric with the freedom of speech. The next president was very pluralist but too tough. The last one was president for 10 years by re-election. He tried to make everyone happy and achieved nothing. Not a strong leader. The lead to religious conflict.

If not for the corruption, Suharto would have been a great leader. He was a strong leader in a time that it was needed. He guided Indonesia in a good direction. For instance, he introduced Indonesia to the world, developed infrastructure and helped the cities grow.

Accomplishments of Suharta – launching a telecommunications satellite.
1986 – enough rice for everyone so didn’t need to import. Farming one of his focuses. Now import a lot from Vietnam because of both larger population and lower production. Worked to build international relationships.

Then it was off to Suharto’s house to talk to the veterans. There were about a dozen of them there from many different conflicts, and different branches of the military. The each stood up in turn and talked about who the fought and how old they were.

There was a mine sweeper from World War II. There were some local soldiers who protected the village, which attracted attack because of the presence of Suharto’s home. There was an unpaid volunteer who served for two and a half years during their war of independence only to fall sick and be unable to fight when they finally started drawing a pay check.

They only get together to socialize once a month because, “we’re already old.” Most of them are in their 80s.

Then our host talked about what it was like to fight in the war of independence. Every able bodied male had to fight, but there wasn’t enough money to provide them with weapons. So they improvised. They cut down thick bamboo stalks and sharpened the end to make a kind of spear. They sharpened wood to make swords.

They set up sentries to watch for the enemy. When enemy soldiers were spotted, the watch would pound on the bamboo tube. Different rhythms mean different things. For instance, a slow double tap meant they were getting close. A very fast, constant beat meant hide under the bed because they are already here.

The Japanese in particular were known for kidnapping all the able bodied men and impressing them into their army. The women were relatively safe, so they stayed when the warning sounded, but the men would run.

He told a story about his mother stripping him bare and covering him in dirt and soot when the enemy came. Instead of letting him run into the jungle where he would most likely be captured, she told him to act crazy. Apparently he was a good actor.

The flag he is holding here is the type they place on the graves of veterans as an honor. Veterans are treated well. The or their widows receive a comfortable stipend each month for life.

At the end we all filed out to the parking lot for a group picture around the statue of Suharto.