Indonesia: a fresh start (South China Morning Post, 26 November 1975)

=== [PDF page 1] === Indonesia: a fresh start by KENNETH WHITING -- Jakarta South China Morning Post (1946-); Nov 26, 1975; ProQuest TEN years. ago ‘the bloodbath in Indonesia was at its worst. From Sumatra to Bali there were nights of horror in city slums and jungle kampongs, an anti-communist orgy that saw some 300,000 ° people slaughtered and 100,000 others behind bars before calm. was restored. Many of them were Chinese. It started with an attempted coup on September 30, 1965, launched by a leftist Army officer. Lieutenant-Colone! Untung was supported by what was then the world’s largest communist party, claiming 3 1-million members and. drawing inspiration from the thoughts of Chairman Mao. They struck first by murdering six leading generals. Their battered bodies were thrown into an- abandoned well known as the “crocodile hole’ at coup headquarters, Halim Air. Base, which is now -Jakarta’s international airport. ‘ The plotters overlooked a relatively ‘unknown major-general in their efforts to wipe out the Army High Command. General Suharto ascertained that he was the only effective commander left and began to rally anti-communist units. With steel-fist-in-a- -velvet-glove style that is now considered characteristic, Gen Suharto moved troops into position and then opened negotiations from strength. The _ rebellion was quelled without much fighting. as pockets of resistance collapsed. There was popular resentment at the ' slaying of the generals and Moslem anger at a power grab by the “godless,” but for ‘several weeks a semblance of order was maintained. Then something snapped and Indonesia was afflicted by the nights of the long knives. As months of madness passed, the purge ‘of communists and suspected communists and communist ‘sympathisers came to be considered a national ‘obligation, not An ‘exact death toll was never released. Western diplomats and Government sources ‘put the figure at 300,000. Others said as few as 100,000 or as many: as halt a million perished. A pattern was recorded in many killings before the wave of brutality subsided well into 1966. Victims were often pounced upon after dark. and met death by lantern light. Many had their” hands tied behind their backs and their throats cut. Bodies were dumped into prepared pits or tossed into rivers. While seemingly Women died if they were believed to have been party activists. When homes were _raided, sarongs were stripped from women. If a, small “*g,” symbol of ‘the communist women’s wing, was found on their upper right thigh, they were slashed to death along ’ with the men. Those less than 16 yeirs old were usually spared, according to accounts of the carnage. When the blood-letting stopped, the old regime was gone, the Communist Party outlawed, power was held by Gen Suharto and other generals, and Indonesia was in economic ruins. Inflation hit 600 per cent,in Gen Suharto found the world's fifth most populous nation deep in, debt to other countries for money borrowed by the late President. Sukarno: to ‘expand his armed forces, for public: buildings and for spectacular monuments.: by KENNETH WHITING — Jakarta cs - Political activity was virtually nil and remains low-key even now'under the “new order” in this nation of 130 million. But capital was lured back with guarantees and other incentives. Lucrative concessions welcomed foreign investors who had been frightened off by President aliznment with Peking..' . Spearheading the economic revival was: the petroleum industry, largely. with American financing. Indonesia is the world’s 12th largest producer. Output last year was 501,837,800 barrels. Japan took more than half of this ney the United States was the second largest uyer. Pertamina, the State oil company and conglomerate; which accounts for 55 per cent-of the net. foreign exchange earnings, expanded 100 quickly with borrowed money and faced financial crisis earlier this year. Disaster was avoided when the Government stepped in to assume Pertamina‘s debts, which include at least US$3,000 million (HK$15,000 million) in foreign” obligations, one banker said last week. Petroleum’ sales last year were worth US$2,600 million (HK$13,000 million). substantial, economists Sukarno’s. Indonesia: a fresh start. note that they equalled about 25 per cent of the budget of New York City. Annual per capita income is unofficially estimated.at 78,850 rupiahs or USS190 (HK $950), one of the lowest in Asia. There is much besides petroleum-in this nation of islands. Experts say natural gas may eventually prove more valuable than oil. There are minerals, including bauxite, copper, tin and nickel and such agricultural products as timber, rubber and coffee. Once a major importer of rice, Indonesia may now be nearing self- sufficiency. So promising is the country’s potential that about US$20,000 million (HK$ 100,000 million) is now earmarked for major investment projects, said a U.S. Department of Commerce report. This.. is roughly equivalent to the whole Gross National Product (GNP) at present.” - - Nevertheless some critics contend that the gap between haves and have-nots is dangerously wide and remains a significant _ threat to national stability. The population is increasing at more than two per cent a year. Birth control programmes -seem inadequate, especially among the predominantly “Moslem population due to religious objections. Nor have the dark days of 1965 been forgotten. Brigadier-General Sawarno, the former Jakarta police chief, went on trial last Friday charged with complicity in the attempted coup 10 years ago. The Foreign Minister, Mr Adam Malik,, said in an interview last Thursday that bitter. anti-communist, and anti-Chinese feelings prevented the restoration of diplomatic, relations between Jakarta and Peking. There is a minority of four. million Chinese in this country, and about half a million of them are stateless. The allegiance of the latter remains suspect in the eyes of some Indonesians for patriotic reasons and also because of long-standing envy of Chinese commercial success. Sources said there are more than 20, 000 political. detainees and it is assumed that a communist hard core remains underground despite the purge. A long official memory requires those seeking Government jobs, higher education, passports and such to first produce a police certificate confirming they had nothing to-do with the attempted coup. =AP: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.