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Suharto: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Suharto
Suharto was born on the 8th of June 1921 in a humble plaited-bamboo-walled house in the hamlet of Kemusuk, a quiet part of the larger village of Godean, then part of the Dutch East Indies. His early life was marked by instability and separation, as his mother suffered a nervous breakdown just five weeks after his birth, leading to his placement in the care of his paternal great-aunt. He lived with foster parents for much of his childhood, shuttling between his mother, who remarried a local farmer, and his father, who took him to live with his sister in the poor farming area of Wuryantoro. Unlike many of his nationalist contemporaries, Suharto grew up with little interest in anti-colonial politics and had no contact with European colonizers, meaning he did not learn to speak Dutch until he was inducted into the Dutch military in 1940. This background of rural poverty and a lack of early political consciousness set the stage for a man who would eventually rise to power through the ranks of the military rather than through the intellectual circles of the independence movement.
The Military Architect
Suharto's ascent began in the chaos of the Japanese occupation, where he joined Japanese-organized security forces and was exposed to a localized version of the Japanese way of the warrior, which encouraged anti-Dutch and pro-nationalist thought. By the time of the Indonesian National Revolution, he had risen to the rank of major general and played a pivotal role in the recapture of Yogyakarta on the 1st of March 1949, a military operation that proved the Dutch had failed to win the guerrilla war and led to their eventual withdrawal. His military career was defined by a ruthless efficiency and a deep-seated distaste for both Islamic and communist radicalism, which he cultivated while suppressing rebellions in Makassar and Central Java. He became a key figure in the army's command structure, eventually leading the Strategic Reserve, a ready-reaction air-mobile force based in Jakarta. His ability to navigate the complex political landscape of the early post-independence years, including his involvement in the suppression of the Darul Islam insurgents and the Darul Islam rebellion, established him as a formidable military leader who prioritized stability and order above all else.
The Blood-Stained Rise
The turning point of Suharto's life came on the 1st of October 1965, when six army generals were kidnapped and executed by soldiers from the Presidential Guard, an event known as the 30th of September Movement. While the conspirators assumed Suharto was a Sukarno loyalist and did not attempt to kill him, he seized the opportunity to mobilize his Kostrad and RPKAD special forces to seize control of Jakarta, capturing key strategic sites including the radio station without resistance. He announced over the radio that the movement was a communist coup attempt and that he was in control of the army, effectively ending the coup and positioning himself as the savior of the nation. The army, backed by Western powers, led a campaign of mass killings to purge Indonesian society of the Communist Party of Indonesia and other leftist organizations, resulting in the deaths of at least 500,000 to over 1 million people and the imprisonment of as many as 1.5 million. This purge, described by the CIA as one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century, eliminated one of President Sukarno's three pillars of support and paved the way for Suharto to consolidate power, eventually leading to his appointment as acting president in March 1967 and full president in 1968.
Suharto was born on the 8th of June 1921 in the hamlet of Kemusuk within the village of Godean in the Dutch East Indies. He grew up in a humble plaited-bamboo-walled house and lived with foster parents while shuttling between his mother and father in the poor farming area of Wuryantoro.
How did Suharto become president of Indonesia?
Suharto became acting president in March 1967 and full president in 1968 after seizing control of Jakarta following the 30th of September Movement on the 1st of October 1965. He mobilized his Kostrad and RPKAD special forces to end the coup attempt and position himself as the savior of the nation while the army purged the Communist Party of Indonesia.
What economic policies did Suharto implement during his presidency?
Suharto appointed the Berkeley Mafia to implement free market policies that lowered inflation from 660% in 1966 to 19% in 1969 and achieved rice self-sufficiency by 1984. His government opened economic sectors to foreign investment and sustained real GDP growth at around 7% per annum while reducing the poverty rate from 45% in 1970 to 11% by 1996.
Why did Suharto authorize the invasion of East Timor?
Suharto authorized the invasion of East Timor on the 7th of December 1975 to maintain stability and secure Western support during the Cold War. The subsequent 23-year occupation resulted in an estimated minimum of 90,800 and maximum of 213,600 conflict-related deaths including systematic human rights violations and a campaign of encirclement and annihilation.
How much money did the Suharto family misappropriate from the government?
Estimates of government funds misappropriated by the Suharto family range from US$1.5 billion to US$5 billion with some sources suggesting a total wealth of $73.24 billion. The family owned or controlled 3.6 million hectares of prime Indonesian land and had controlling equity in at least 564 companies while creating a network of charitable organizations to recycle donations as a slush fund.
When did Suharto resign and what happened to him after his presidency?
Suharto announced his resignation on the 21st of May 1998 following the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the Trisakti University killings on the 12th of May 1998. He became a recluse in his family compound, was placed under house arrest in 2000, acquitted of corruption in 2008, and died on the 27th of January 2008.
Suharto's New Order regime was built on the foundation of Pancasila, a vague ideology that he exploited to justify his actions and condemn opponents as anti-Pancasila. He implemented the Dwifungsi or Dual Function policy, which enabled the military to have an active role in all levels of the Indonesian government, economy, and society, with 70% of provincial governors and more than half of district chiefs being active military officers by 1969. The regime systematically eliminated political opposition, merging Islamic parties into the United Development Party and fusing non-Islamic parties into the Indonesian Democratic Party, ensuring that Golkar, Suharto's electoral vehicle, won landslide majorities in every election. Suharto's government also engaged in social engineering projects to transform Indonesian society into a depoliticized floating mass, creating civil society groups to unite the populace in support of government programs. This authoritarian structure allowed Suharto to rule by decree for most of his tenure, with the parliament serving as a rubber stamp for his policies, while the military maintained strict control over domestic security through organizations like Kopkamtib and BAKIN.
The Economic Miracle
When Suharto came to power, Indonesia was known as the poorest country in Asia, with inflation running at over 650% per year. He appointed an economic advisory group known as the Berkeley Mafia, consisting of US-educated intellectuals, to implement free market policies that reversed Sukarno's tightly regulated economy. By cutting subsidies, decreasing government debt, and reforming the exchange rate mechanism, inflation was lowered from 660% in 1966 to 19% in 1969, and the country entered a period of price stability. The government opened selected economic sectors to foreign investment, and Indonesia experienced sustained economic growth, with real GDP growing at around 7% per annum. This economic success led to a drop in the poverty rate from 45% in 1970 to around 11% by 1996, and Indonesia achieved rice self-sufficiency by 1984, earning Suharto the title of Father of Development. However, this economic growth was built on a foundation of corruption and cronyism, with Suharto's family and associates controlling vast swathes of the economy, including the oil, gas, and mining sectors, and major government contracts.
The Shadow of Empire
Suharto's foreign policy was characterized by a strong anti-communist stance and a quiet alignment with the Western bloc, which secured significant economic and diplomatic backing from the United States and other Western powers during the Cold War. He authorized the invasion of East Timor on the 7th of December 1975, following a 23-year occupation that resulted in an estimated minimum of 90,800 and maximum of 213,600 conflict-related deaths, including 17,600 to 19,600 killings and 73,200 to 194,000 excess deaths from hunger and illness. The Indonesian forces were responsible for about 70% of the violent deaths, and the occupation was marked by systematic human rights violations and a campaign of encirclement and annihilation. Suharto also oversaw the Act of Free Choice in 1969, a plebiscite that produced a unanimous decision for the integration of West Irian into Indonesia, which was duly noted by the United Nations General Assembly. His foreign policy was driven by a desire to maintain stability and secure Western support, even at the cost of extensive human rights abuses and the suppression of dissent.
The Corruption Machine
The growth of the economy under Suharto coincided with the rapid expansion of corruption, collusion, and nepotism, known as KKN. His children, particularly Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, Hutomo Mandala Putra, and Bambang Trihatmodjo, grew into greedy adults whose companies were given lucrative government contracts and protected from market competition by monopolies. The Suharto family owned or controlled 3.6 million hectares of prime Indonesian land, an area comparable to all of Belgium, and directly owned or had controlling equity in at least 564 companies, with no Indonesian economic sector untouched. Estimates of government funds misappropriated by the Suharto family range from US$1.5 billion to US$5 billion, with some sources suggesting a total wealth of $73.24 billion. The family created a network of charitable organizations that extracted millions of dollars in donations from the public and private sectors, which were recycled as a slush fund to reward political allies and maintain support for the New Order. This system of corruption became so entrenched that Suharto was listed by Forbes as the fourth richest person in the world in 1997, despite drawing an annual salary of only $21,000.
The Fall of the Dictator
The 1997 Asian financial crisis plunged Indonesia into economic turmoil and widespread unrest, with the Indonesian rupiah dropping in value from a pre-crisis level of Rp. 2,600 to a low point of around Rp. 17,000. The economic meltdown was accompanied by increasing political tension, and anti-Chinese riots occurred in various cities, while violent ethnic clashes broke out between the Dayak and Madurese settlers in Central Kalimantan. The crisis climaxed on the 12th of May 1998, when security forces killed four demonstrators from Jakarta's Trisakti University, leading to rioting and looting across Jakarta and other cities that destroyed thousands of buildings and killed over 1,000 people. On the 21st of May 1998, Suharto announced his resignation, upon which vice-president Habibie assumed the presidency. After resigning, Suharto became a recluse in his family's compound, protected by soldiers and rarely making public appearances. He was placed under house arrest in 2000 when Indonesian authorities began to investigate the corruption during his presidency, but he was acquitted of corruption in 2008, though his charitable foundation was ordered to pay US$110 million. Suharto died on the 27th of January 2008 and received a state military funeral with full honors, leaving behind a legacy that remains highly divisive within the Indonesian general public.