The Legacy of Suharto

If Suharto had the kind of pumped-up ego we usually associate with powerful politicians.

In stark contrast to his fiery and extrovert predecessor Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president, Suharto exuded a sense of calm detachment, his face an enigmatic mask that gave away little.

He kept himself aloof from foreigners and Indonesians alike, almost never granting interviews, only addressing the public sparingly in set-piece speeches which he delivered in a monotone mumble with all the charisma of a junior civil servant.

He left no statues of himself, no parks or roads were named after him, and only on special occasions did you see his face up on billboards, although in the last years of his rule it did appear on the largest-denomination banknote.

Indonesians often found it difficult to pin down what they felt about the man who had towered over their lives for so long.

For most he remained an opaque, distant figure.

They certainly feared him.

He preferred indirect methods to disable his opponents, but was prepared at times to unleash terrifying violence to defend his so-called New Order regime.

by Jumar Natangcop