SUHARTO'S DEATH YIELDS MUTED REACTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 000174 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS ID SUBJECT: SUHARTO'S DEATH YIELDS MUTED REACTION REF: A. HANNY-OPS CENTER 1/28 TELCON ¶B. NOVAK-OPS CENTER 1/27 TELCON ¶C. JAKARTA 133 AND PREVIOUS JAKARTA 00000174 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Former president Suharto died of multiple organ failure in Jakarta, January 27. The former general was buried mid-day January 28 at the Suharto family cemetery in central Java in a ceremony attended by President Yudhoyono and a host of political heavyweights and foreign dignitaries, including Ambassador Hume. The GOI declared seven days of national mourning, but, nationally, reaction to his death has been muted, and life has gone on as normal in Jakarta and elsewhere. A brief primer on Suharto's period in power and after is contained in paras 8-11. Mission's press statement on Suharto's death is contained in para 12. END SUMMARY. SUHARTO'S DEATH ¶2. (U) Former Indonesian president Suharto, 86, succumbed to multiple organ failure following a 22-day struggle for his life in an intensive care unit of a Jakarta hospital. Less than three hours after his death, Suharto's body was transported to his family's compound (Cendana) in central Jakarta and laid in state. President Yudhoyono and Vice President Kalla paid their last respects to the former president at his residence and a steady procession of dignitaries, friends and family followed suit. The Ambassador stopped by briefly to offer his condolences. ¶3. (C) DCM witnessed the atmosphere outside of Suharto's residence. A crowd of thousands quickly assembled to bear witness to the history unfolding before them. The prevailing mood was neither somber nor festive as onlookers watched a steady procession of political luminaries and celebrities dressed in funereal black arrive to pay their last respects. Others waited--with varying degrees of frustration--in a separate line reserved for ordinary Indonesians to say goodbye. Kopassus (military special forces) worked crowd control and stood sentinel over the proceedings. Poloff--who visited the Suharto residence just before 10 p.m.--reported that by late evening the crowds had thinned to a trickle. Aside from some heavy traffic in Jakarta due to the comings and goings, life has gone as normal in Indonesia, except in ;the Solo region where the funeral took place. THE STATE FUNERAL ¶4. (U) President Suharto's remains were transported via military aircraft early on the morning of January 28 from Jakarta to Solo, Central Java. From Solo, the funeral procession traveled overland 30 kilometers to Karanganyar, Suharto's ancestral home, with hundreds of thousands of Indonesians lining the roads along the way. The Ambassador joined President Yudhoyono, Vice President Kalla, and a long list of influential Indonesian political elite in paying their last respects to Suharto at the ceremony. Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar, East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad also joined the ceremony. ¶5. (SBU) The tone at the ceremony was dignified. Despite the presence of so many visiting dignitaries and elites, the proceedings maintained a familial quality. President Yudhoyono's remarks, while somewhat formulaic, highlighted the former president's achievements and included a recitation of awards Suharto had received throughout his career. A MUTED REACTION ¶6. (C) Despite Suharto's indelible imprint on the social, economic and political fabric of Indonesia, the reaction to his death has been relatively subdued. While media coverage of his death and the funeral arrangements has been exhaustive, his death has largely passed without serious incident and with little public demonstrativeness (outside of JAKARTA 00000174 002.2 OF 003 Solo). Most Indonesians who remember him in power appear to have made their peace with the former president--out of power for a decade already--and resigned themselves to the inevitability of his passing. ¶7. (C) While silent for the moment due to the somber timeframe, human rights activists and NGOs will no doubt continue their demands for full accountability for human rights abuses and corrupt practices during the Suharto regime. The government of Indonesia has given no indication as to whether or not it will continue its various legal cases to recover alleged corrupt monies from Suharto's foundation and his children. Most observers believe these cases will move forward. A BRIEF PRIMER ON SUHARTO'S RULE--AND AFTER ¶8. (U) General Suharto began his seizure of political power in Indonesia in 1965, as he led the Army's response to an attempted Communist-led coup. This response included a military-backed campaign to eliminate Communists and their sympathizers, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. By March 1966, Suharto had wrested effective control of the Indonesian government from President Soekarno and in 1967 the legislature named him as Acting President. In 1968 the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly, under his control, formally selected him as President, a pattern that would repeat itself every five years through 1998. Suharto dominated Indonesia politics until his resignation in May 1998 amid economic collapse, riots, and rights abuses by security forces. ¶9. (U) Suharto transformed Indonesia from one of the world's poorest countries into a model for successful economic and social advancement, and liked to refer to himself as the father of development. He brought economic and political stability to his country as President Sukarno proved unable to deal with myriad pressure groups. Although staunchly anti-Communist, Suharto steered Indonesia along a neutral foreign policy. His macro-economic policies, many designed by U.S.-trained academics, reassured international economic institutions and investors, and the country reaped benefit from a boom in foreign investment in the 1980's and 1990's. ¶10. (U) While Suharto was a masterful politician, able to contain and control opposing interests, he did not institute meaningful democratic reforms nor develop more legitimate political structures. By the mid-1990's, his authority as the nation's leader rested almost exclusively on the country's fast-paced economic growth. However, rampant cronyism, the growing and egregious corruption of his children, and the lack of rule of law weakened the economy's foundation. As financial contagion swept through Southeast Asia in 1997-98, Suharto's structures collapsed, and an increasingly educated Indonesian population proved unwilling to tolerate authoritarianism. In the face of continuing rioting in the capital, and with his political allies and the military signaling that the time for change had come, Suharto resigned from office in May 1998. ¶11. (U) Following his ouster, Suharto retreated to his private residence and largely removed himself from the public spotlight. According to contacts, Suharto spent hours in quiet contemplation and received guests only sparingly. He almost never left his residence. Facing charges of illegally amassing national funds while in office, Suharto relied on testimony from a team of doctors about his physical and mental inability to stand trial. Meanwhile, his son, Hutomo Mandala Putra--aka Tommy--and his close business ally Bob Hasan both were sent to jail. A case was also brought against a foundation affiliated with Suharto. MISSION PRESS STATEMENT ¶12. (U) On January 27, Mission disseminated the following statement: Begin text: JAKARTA 00000174 003.2 OF 003 Jakarta, January 27 -- U.S. Ambassador Cameron R. Hume paid his respects to former Indonesian President Suharto on Sunday, January 27, 2008, at the Cendana Palace. Ambassador Hume conveyed the following condolences from the United States of America: The United States expresses our sincere condolences on the death of President Suharto. President Suharto led Indonesia for over 30 years, a period during which Indonesia achieved remarkable economic and social development. In the international arena, President Suharto co-sponsored the formation of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and gave Indonesia an important role in the non-aligned movement while retaining close ties to the United States. Though there may be some controversy over his legacy, President Suharto was a historic figure who left a lasting impression on Indonesia and the region of Southeast Asia. End text. HUME