Word: suhartos
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Before Indonesia's President Suharto departed on a foreign tour this fall, he paused for a special ceremony. One of Indonesia's dukuns (soothsayers) had predicted a possible disaster for the country in late 1970, and sacrificial rites were duly scheduled. Several water buffalo were rounded up and slaughtered. The head of one was buried on the eastern tip of Java, and the head of another on the western edge. With Indonesia's most populous island thus bracketed, Suharto embarked on his journey. So far, no disaster...
Indonesia's Suharto is a shrewd pragmatist, but he is also a man who grew up amid the Moslem, Hindu and animist influences of central Java. He frequently plans strategy with military men on the golf course, listens to his impressive array of American-trained economists, and keeps abreast of current trends via tape-recorded textbooks. Suharto also relies on his spiritual advisers. Since his youth, he has consulted an influential mystical teacher, Raden Mas Darjatmo, who serves as a combination dukun, kebatinan (medium) and guru. Suharto often seeks out his old dukun when he visits his home village...
Following the abortive Communist coup attempt in 1965, Suharto ruled out a swift move against then-President Sukarno on the advice of a dukun. Instead, he whittled away at Sukarno's power; eventually Sukarno faded away as a political force. On the advice of another dukun, Suharto recently avoided a hard-line approach to student dissidents and sat down for a series of discussions with them until tempers cooled...
There are a couple of historical statements in the article, which have only a very peripheral connection with the DAS. But for the sake of historical accuracy they are worth pointing out. There are no "industrialists" in Suharto's "retinue," or anywhere else in position of power, since nearly all major Indonesian industrial firms are state-owned. Much more important is that the present regime did not come to power by an "anti-Communist coup." There was an attempted Communist coup, supported by the Commander and officers of the Air Force, the Community party newspaper, armed units of the Communist...
...team-which began working for Suharto in mid-1968-has helped the Indonesian government in its negotiations with foreign investors. "They badly needed jobs, they badly needed revenues, so they made some deals that were highly favorable to the foreign investors," Papanek said last month. He added that the DAS has also counseled the government against lopsided bargains with foreign firms...