I

was at the late Taufiq Kiemas' funeral on Sunday. I was there when everything finished.

I first saw Prabowo Subianto, working his way out of the area as a squirm of people surrounded him.

Ministers, ambassadors and other political figures came out as well, nodding along as we ordinary people just nodded back in a mixture of frozen curiosity and respect. In the end, they all went back to their black shiny cars.

Everyone wanted to get in. They all wanted to catch a glimpse of this event. They all wanted to be part of it. All around me, pictures were taken and phone calls were made.

In this evidently crowded mist of contrasting social barriers, it was hard for me to make an exact conclusion on why everyone was here in the first place.

His position as the head of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) gave him the ability to move around the political field, wielding a lot of influence.

An hour passed and still people poured in. I decided it was time for me to go. Suddenly, out of the blue, two reporters came to my friend and me.

They had a camera ready. 'What is your opinion about Taufiq Kiemas?' said one of them.

I don't remember exactly the words I said but the question helped me outline what it was that Taufiq really meant to
Indonesia.

Aside from the fact that he was head of the MPR, he was also a former first gentlemen (when Megawati Soekarnoputri became the fifth president of Indonesia) and, what I think echoed strongly in the minds of many politicians and the people was the fact that he was a man of the people, he was enthusiastic and positive about the development and prosperity of the nation.

He believed in the state ideology of Pancasila, he believed in Indonesia. His hopes, political and moral instincts are his
ultimate legacy.

   
Raafi Seiff
Jakarta