ViewPoint: What made the smiling general smile?

Julia Suryakusuma ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 04/09/2008 11:20 AM  |  Opinion

Looks can be deceiving, we all know that. Soeharto, for example, was good-enough looking in his youth and still seemed affable in old age, with his portly figure, neatly coiffed white hair and, of course, that trademark smile that never seemed to leave his face. To look at, he could be a favorite grandpa or uncle -- as I'm sure he was, since he never held back when it came to dispensing favors and funds to his nearest and dearest.

But who would imagine just from looking at his broad smile that Soeharto was allegedly responsible for the death of so many innocent people, for unspeakable atrocities, for human rights abuses and for vast corruption? Not many it seems -- and even those who do know seem happy to forget these uncomfortable truths as quickly as possible.

In fact, almost as soon as Soeharto stepped down from his 32 years of oppressive rule, Indonesians began to wax lyrical about the good ol' days when prices were stable and services (health, education) were so much better than they are now. And when Soeharto finally died on Jan. 27 this year, the nation mourned his death with flags at half-mast, as if the former dictator were some sort of hero.

Yes, it's true. A decade on and the New Order is already becoming history, no longer a reality that chokes, suffocates, represses and murders. We are quickly forgetting the extreme brutality of an Indonesian regime that thrived in the chilly atmosphere of the Cold War.

They say that time heals all wounds. Maybe, but does it also reveal all truths? In the United States it does, if you can wait long enough for government documents to be declassified. On Jan. 28 -- the day after Soeharto's death -- Washington finally declassified documents detailing how it had propped up the smiling general at the expense of democracy and human rights in Indonesia.

The release of the documents is a reminder of the fact that Soeharto was, in essence, a ruthless, brutal and corrupt Cold War warrior who was consistently supported by Western powers until almost his last day in power. He was one of the products of the United States' Frankenstein syndrome, whereby the land of the free created monsters of repression in their struggle to defeat communism.

Take for example one of the newly released documents, dated May 26, 1970, a memo of conversation between president Soeharto and president Nixon (see http://www.gwu.edu/*nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB242/index.htm).

Nixon: "What is the present strength of the revolutionary communist groups? Is this considered a danger? Is it under control?"

Soeharto: "Strategically their strength can be said to be nullified. The hard core, which is about 10 percent of their previous 3 million members, are still free. Tens of thousands of these have been interrogated and placed in detention."

Nixon: "How about university students? Is there communist influence among them?"

Soeharto: "The student movement has been directed by the government toward social and economic development. They are active participants in the New Order. They have received indoctrination concerning the ideas of the New Order."

Declassified documents like this one unambiguously demonstrate the long-standing support the U.S. offered Soeharto, despite (and sometimes because of) his record of repression and corruption. They include records of meetings between Soeharto and, in chronological order, presidents Nixon, Ford and Reagan, secretary of state Kissinger, vice president Mondale, vice president George Bush Sr. and assistant secretary of state Holbrooke. They provide a blow-by-blow account of U.S. endorsement of Soeharto and their approval of his actions, including atrocities such as the killings of 1965-1966, the 1975 invasion of East Timor and the Petrus "mysterious killings" of 1983-1984.

No wonder he was always smiling.

I suppose Kissinger would dismiss all this as realpolitik, great proponent that he was of the practice. This was the reality of 20th century American foreign policy, and why the world's oldest modern democracy repeatedly backed dictatorships in the name of freedom. After 1947 the U.S.' principal objective was simply to contain the Soviet Union. This meant that anyone who was anti-communist was a potential ally, even a murderous dictator like Soeharto.

The paradox is that the grimy deals between Soeharto and the U.S. have never really been secret. In fact, many books have been written about them.

But these newly released documents do make the ugly story much clearer -- crystal clear, in fact. And they remind us that there is one important thing that makes the United States different from all the dictatorships it has supported over the years.

In the United States, citizens know that the truth about their government will eventually come out. Freedom of information laws and national archive declassification procedures mean they will eventually get access to classified documents and they can do something about the misdeeds of their former leaders. That's why Henry Kissinger, now 84, finds himself under fire again from journalists and human rights groups in the United States and abroad. (He probably wishes that he hadn't been blessed with such a long life after all.)

We desperately need laws like these in Indonesia. Wouldn't they make Cabinet ministers and governments more careful about what they say and do? Wouldn't they mean that we would finally find out the truth of what our leaders are really like, smiles or no smiles?

Well, the good news is that Indonesia has finally done something about it, with the House of Representatives passing our first ever freedom of information law last Thursday, after eight years of debate.

Let's hope the new law isn't just another reformasi paper tiger. Declassification is all part of the panoply of democracy, and Indonesia will never be a true democracy until the public can be sure that the secrets of the Cabinet room will one day be theirs.

The writer is the author of Sex, Power and Nation. She can be contacted at jsuryakusuma@gmail.com.

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