Forgiveness
Jan 14th, 2008, in News, by PatungSome people are in a forgiving mood as former president Suharto nears death.
As Suharto nears death, with never-ending media reports of “condition improving”/”condition worsening”, and as his grave is prepared, suarapembaruan the question of the stalled but outstanding legal case against Suharto concerning stolen national assets has been repeatedly raised.
Hidayat Nur Wahid
Some, such as parliament speaker Hidayat Nurwahid, insist that Suharto continue to be prosecuted, given that Indonesia is a country based on law. tempo
Many others however, such as former “Reformasi” firebrand Amien Rais, recommend that the government and people forgive Suharto entirely, and end investigation and prosecution of him.
Amien Rais.
Reading out a statement in Yogyakarta on the 14th Amien said that in the early days many people did not criticise Suharto’s leadership or attempt to thwart his ambitions, to the point where he eventually became all-powerful, and therefore many people in the country bore some responsibility for Suharto’s deeds.
No-one dared say no to him.
Amien hoped that in future people would be more critical of their leaders, so that there would never again be a figure such as Soeharto, as well as his predecessor Soekarno. tempo
Meanwhile President SBY, standing in the middle as usual, asked everyone to just stop talking about the issue, at least until Suharto was dead waspada and the epitaphs had been written.
Let us stop all debates and arguments as they are unwise and improper at this time.
Suharto had done much good for the country, SBY said:
Despite some shortcomings, we still need to show him the respect and gratitude he deserves.
This article in bahasa Indonesia – Pengampunan Pak Harto.
106 Comments on “Forgiveness”
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Janma says:
So you want to say that all Dutch crimes against humanity in slaughtering our people, plundering our country and stealing our wealth were pardonable because of the Dutch courts in 1928 defended Mohammad Hatta right to free speech and calling the people to overthrow the government if the wanted while Pak Harto crimes is not because His name is Muhammmad Soeharto
Soeharto wasn’t that different from the Dutch…. he was his own ‘kompani’. He and his kronies….. wasn’t that much difference except his name was “Muhammad Soeharto”, so Indonesians just lay down and took it…..
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Cukurungan says:
Janma wrote :
Soeharto wasn’t that different from the Dutch…. he was his own ‘kompani’. He and his kronies….. wasn’t that much difference except his name was
“Muhammad Soeharto”, so Indonesians just lay down and took it…..’Me:
Because Pak Harto was God chosen leaders among us He is muslim anyway in the Quran, it is clearly stated that we muslim have to obey God, Prophet and Leaders chosen among us
Andrew wrote :
No, I’m saying the local warrior class was equally guilty as their VoC businessmen employers; and that General Suharto and Megawati and General Yuhoyono are the modern version of the people who use to enable colonial exploitation & abuse. That Corporations from Exxon in Sumatra to Conoco Phillips in East Timor to Freeport McMoRan in Papua are the modern version of VoC.A person can not less their guilt for their actions by association, but their association can mean more people are equally guilty of the same crimes. Some people want RI to remain a colonial power, but I am opposed to colonialism by any nation.’
Me:
Pak Harto, Bu Mega and Sby are leaders chosen by us, we moslem have to obey our own leaders while keep watching every evangelist manuver to provoke us in confronting our own leaders and government.Those companies have been never pointing Gun on us and they never force us to do this and to do that and without them we only have business “toko kelontong and bandar togel”.
We are not the Colonial Powers and the Papuan can do anything except declaring independent because it will lead them to becomes other failed state and it will be end up like Papua Nugini and Timor East just becomes easy prey for the Predator Bule Ausii.
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Actually my Papuan friends told me before the 2001 & 2004 elections that the TNI had already chosen Megawati & Yudhoyono; it is sad that Cukurungan says he enjoys the profits of colonization of those Provinces under TNI and BIN guns or assassinations like That Munir and Theys Eluay. Indeed the executive of VoC and Freeport McMoRan and Bechtel don’t have guns pointed at them or their allies, the guns are reserved for the indigenous people of Papua and Aceh and Borneo and elsewhere Java wants the foreign corporations to exploit.
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Actually my Papuan friends told me before the 2001 & 2004 elections that the TNI had already chosen Megawati & Yudhoyono; it is sad that Cukurungan says he enjoys the profits of colonization of those Provinces under TNI and BIN guns or assassinations like That Munir and Theys Eluay. Indeed the executive of VoC and Freeport McMoRan and Bechtel don’t have guns pointed at them or their allies, the guns are reserved for the indigenous people of Papua and Aceh and Borneo and elsewhere Java wants the foreign corporations to exploit.
Your Papuan friend said so is understanable but I do not understand why you have to embarrass your self by using this weak argument. Even whole world know that Yudhoyono is the result of the people votes and not TNI chosen.
We exactly know deep inside in the infidels mind, they are always try hard to give impression that the role of the VOC and Dutch in the past was just like the role MNC and our Government today whilst actually it is not the same and the other side they are also try to minimize role Indonesia Hero and discredit Indonesia Hero personal life such as they said Sultan Agung was corrupt Leader, Pangeran Diponenegoro was the tomb defender, Suharto is No.1 world corruptors, SBY and Megawati is a bad leader.
Why they do that? It is just simple reason to wipe out the Dark Time of the Christian Dutch Role during 350 years from our history. If they succeeded doing so and our people do not trust anymore with our leaders then another infidel’s agenda will follow soon. However Bung Karno said to us “Jasmerah” do not forget history or in other word never forget what the Christian Dutch has been done in this country.
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We exactly know deep inside in the infidels mind
You hate those “infidels” don’t you, you hate those ‘evil’ black people, those ‘evil’ non-Muslims, those ‘evil’ non-Javanese; the world would be better for you when Java’s culture is established across Papua and Aceh. That is Solid colonial thinking you possess.
Dark Time of the Christian Dutch Role during 350 years
Keep repeating it often enough and everybody will mindlessly accept your version of history, that is the theory the Ford Foundation & Indonesian military after 1950 believed would work. Lets pretend the USI never existed, lets pretend Sukarno was a popular hero and that the United Nations created the RI instead of the USI in 1949.
another infidel’s agenda will follow soon
Fear Uncertainty and Doubt worked for Sukarno, worked for Suharto, will it work for you?
Lets see one bunch of Generals kills another bunch claiming they are evil “communist”; so Suharto kills the first bunch claiming no, they are the “evil” “communist”.
And forty years later you expect Indonesia & the world to fear the evil “infidel”. Quite sad really, both you and George W Bush torting the same FUD. You may hope FUD conceals the historical truth, and it could do that yet again, but it will not change the facts for anybody willing to research what was really happening & who was profiting from what.
The fact is that all the people killed by VoC didn’t shape Indonesia, and all the people killed by Suharto didn’t shape Indonesia; Indonesia was shaped by VoC and then by the US Indonesia Society group of corporations with the help of the local military, both times.
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You hate those “infidels” don’t you
Friend,
Do not get too personal and our discussion is still in line with Pancasila.
FYI I have no reason to hate the infidels because if this worlds without infidels God will drag me to the hell because I am only a dirty Muslim and Let Rakyat Indonesia to decide which the history version more comfortable to them -
if this worlds without infidels God will drag me to the hell because I am only a dirty Muslim
That is a concept I’ve not heard of before. I’m sure Allah would forgive people who use genuine thought and compassion; indeed there is no need to take things too personally but we do need to be weary of being caught in misdirection; which happens to be what I believe the corrupt corporations today specialise in and count on. Like humans I believe most companies and corporate executives are decent, but we need to be mindful of those few executives (including Generals or suites in the US) who dress in sheep’s clothing and hide their activities in the shadows.
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That is a concept I’ve not heard of before. I’m sure Allah would forgive people who use genuine thought and compassion; indeed there is no need to take things too personally but we do need to be weary of being caught in misdirection; which happens to be what I believe the corrupt corporations today specialise in and count on. Like humans I believe most companies and corporate executives are decent, but we need to be mindful of those few executives (including Generals or suites in the US) who dress in sheep’s clothing and hide their activities in the shadows.
That concept is not belong to the Islamic tenets, it is just my imagination and my hope because if the hell can be fully loaded with the plenty infidels, the bad Muslim like me do not need to be burn in the hell to clean my sin but I can go directly straight to heaven.
I do not like to blame those companies because if our government are clean, their activities and maneuver would be controllable but without those companies the gold, oil and gas would still stay deep under ground because no one in here want to risk $50 million just to know what inside the earth.
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Aluang Anak Bayang says:
Re,
We exactly know deep inside in the infidels mind, they are always try hard to give impression that the role of the VOC and Dutch in the past was just like the role MNC and our Government today whilst actually it is not the same and the other side they are also try to minimize role Indonesia Hero and discredit Indonesia Hero personal life such as they said Sultan Agung was corrupt Leader, Pangeran Diponenegoro was the tomb defender, Suharto is No.1 world corruptors, SBY and Megawati is a bad leader.
Finally you took your nappy off your head and can think straight like an Indonesian. We have to get rid of all the undesirables like Bule English teachers, Singapore cukongs and Arab islamo-pedophiles.
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Let Rakyat Indonesia to decide which the history version more comfortable to them.
That’s the sickness hey?
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I do not like to blame those companies because if our government are clean, their activities and maneuver would be controllable but without those companies the gold, oil and gas would still stay deep under ground because no one in here want to risk $50 million just to know what inside the earth.
If your government is as perfect as God is that what you are saying, Indonesia has no corruption no bribery or theft or military elitism.
Countries that relay on mining have slower economic development than any other type of economy. If the resources were left in the ground they would be available for future generations when they might really need them themselves & when the resources would be worth much more than what the Americans & others have been paying for them.
After WW-II Indonesia became a colonial power instead of taking a path towards industry like Japan did; lets look at Java itself, it had population, nearby resources it could buy (unlike Japan), and geographically better placed to trade with Europe and the world economy than Japan was. Japan’s economic growth of the 1970s & 80s could have been Java’s if not for the efforts of certain US executives in business with Sukarno & Suharto & Yudhoyono.
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Finally you took your nappy off your head and can think straight like an Indonesian.
Friend,
You are completely wrong because I am always thinking and talking merely based on my own interest as Provocateur not because I am Indonesian.
For me, one friend is too much while 100 enemies are too few otherwise this world will become a boring place.
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Odinius says:
I guarantee a lot of very uncomfortable facts about 1965-7 will come out now that Suharto is dead.
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dragonwall says:
A lot of u comfortable facts of the 60’s before the 98 riot thus the coup. Otherwise Soeharto would still be in his seat until his retirement on his 7th term.
But those that were reveal were the cons not the pros therefore many had thought that when Soeharto step down there are rooms to breathe for a better tomorrow.
None of those cons were revealed to the society that the change will bring about more disaster for the Indonesians poor and rich alike. INSTABILITY. HYPERINFLATIONS.
When a country began to move into the directions of instability and hyperinflation with faltering economy and low rupiah values, things will change no matter who they are.
So if by today what we know that what Soeharto had done for the Indonesians had been better off then what is there to forgive?
Like I used to say we weigh who did a better job for the country! They only difference is that Soeharto may have not used the right person to make his correction for his involvements and ties with those corrupt cornies. Until today no one has found the so call billions that he had corrupted. Take a look at the Justice Department! Have they found anything?
He is at fault and he has to admit that for what happened through his rule. He should have taken corrective measures and make better amendments to better the undermine the corrupt officials. He would have ultimately ended up a better Soeharto not a forgive Soeharto.
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P.S. Yes I mean the USI was created as a democratic effort to protect all the cultures of all the island nations; but the RI was created as a centralised military power for colonial mining interests. That’s why the Rockefeller foundations & Ford Foundation supported Sukarno’s RI and that why they wanted General Suharto to replace Sukarno who was not willing to sign away a big cut of the loot for those US corporations.
If the people of Indonesia want, they can stop RI colonial exploitation and instead support de-colonization as per their agreement with UN Resolution 1514 and UN Resolution 1541 and the New York Agreement any instant; it is their choice.
Without the willingness of the colonial power it can take hundreds of years to get your voice heard.