In 1998, following over thirty years of military dictatorship under General Suharto, the 1998 Indonesian Revolution led to the introduction of democracy. The fall of Suharto followed a severe weakening of the Indonesian economy by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and rising internal opposition from other military figures.
Background
At the start of 1996, President Suharto looked like one of the strongest leaders in Asia. However, Suharto was worried about opposition to his rule from certain sections of the military and from popular political figures such as Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno.
In 1996 Suharto ousted his potential rival Megawati from the leadership of the PDI Party. However, Megawati appeared to have the support of certain key generals, such as Hendropriyono . Megawati Hendropriyono
In 1997, the Asian financial crisis weakened Suharto's position. Economic liberalisation had allowed money to flow into Indonesia, but it also allowed money to flow out, which it did with great speed during the crisis.
Demonstrations and riots
In Indonesia, in the years 1997-1998, there were riots in various parts of Indonesia. Sometimes these riots were aimed against the Chinese-Indonesians. Some riots looked spontaneous and some looked as if they had been planned. One theory was that pro-Suharto generals were trying to weaken the forces of democracy by increasing the divisions between the orthodox and the non-orthodox Moslems, between the Moslems and the Christians and between the Chinese and the non-Chinese. Another theory was that certain generals were trying to topple Suharto. [1]
Student demonstrations
At the start of May 1998, students were holding peaceful demonstrations on university campuses across the country. They were protesting against massive price rises for fuel and energy, and they were demanding that President Suharto should step down.
On May 12th, students at Jakarta's Trisakti University , many of them the children of the elite, planned to march to parliament to present the government with their demands for reform. The police prevented the students from marching. Some time after 5pm, uniformed men on motorcycles appeared on the flyover which overlooks Trisakti. Shots rang out. Four students were killed.
Riots of May 13-14
On the 13th of May there were reports of rioting in the area around Trisakti. President Suharto was attending a conference in Egypt and the military top brass went off to Malang in East Java to attend a ceremony. On the 14th of May, serious rioting took place in the Jakarta area. There were no signs of any uniformed soldiers on the streets.
Over 1,000 people died during these Jakarta riots, most having been burnt in malls and supermarkets but some having been shot or beaten. A government minister spoke of the damage or destruction of 2,479 shop-houses, 1,026 ordinary houses, 1,604 shops, 383 private offices, 65 bank offices, 45 workshops, 40 shopping malls, 13 markets, and 12 hotels.
Alleged involvement of the military in planning the riots
Father Sandyawan Sumardi , a 40-year-old Jesuit priest and son of a police chief, led an independent investigation into the events of May 1998. As a member of the Team of Volunteers for Humanitarian Causes he interviewed people who had witnessed the alleged involvement of the military in organising the riots and rapes. Volunteer Team for Humanity The Hidden Hand
A security officer alleged that Kopassus (special forces) officers had ordered the burning down of a bank; a taxi driver reported hearing a man in a military helicopter encouraging people on the ground to carry out looting; shop-owners at a Plaza claimed that, before the riots, military officers tried to extract protection money; a teenager claimed he and thousands of others had been trained as protesters; a street child alleged that Kopassus officers ordered him and his friends to become rioters; there was a report of soldiers being dressed up as students and then taking part in rioting; eyewitnesses spoke of muscular men with short haircuts arriving in military-style trucks and directing attacks on Chinese homes and businesses.
There were reports of children being encouraged to enter malls and then of the malls being set on fire; there were allegations that muscular men with short haircuts had gang-raped little Chinese girls and then murdered some of them.
American Defence Secretary William Cohen was in Jakarta in January 1998, where he visited both Prabowo and Wiranto. The CIA chief had also been a recent visitor to Jakarta. The CIA and the Pentagon were close to both Prabowo and Wiranto.The Pentagon and General Prabowo and General Wiranto
Wiranto and Prabowo
Reportedly the military was split. There was said to be a power struggle between General Wiranto and General Prabowo . There were fears of a civil war. Both generals claimed to be loyal to Suharto. [2]
Some of Suharto's former allies deserted him. Wiranto allowed students to occupy Parliament. Reportedly Wiranto reported to Suharto on May 20th that Suharto no longer had the support of the army. Suharto was forced to resign on May 21 and was replaced by Habibie, his Vice President.
In 1998 one of the key generals was Prabowo, son of Dr. Sumitro Djojohadikusumo , a former Finance Minister, said to have once worked with the British and the Americans against Sukarno. Prabowo had learnt about terrorism at Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in the US. [3] In May 1998, Prabowo was commander of Kostrad , the strategic reserve, the regiment Suharto commanded when he took power in 1965. Prabowo's friend Muchdi ran Kopassus (special forces) and his friend Sjafrie ran the Jakarta Area Command. General Wiranto , the overall head of the military, was seen as a rival to Prabowo.
Allegedly, late on the evening on May 21st. Prabowo arrived at the presidential palace and demanded that he be made chief of the armed forces. Reportedly, Habibie escaped from the palace. On May 22nd, Prabowo was sacked as head of Kostrad. Wiranto remained as chief of the armed forces. Wiranto's troops began removing the students from the parliament building.President Habibie and General Prabowo
Continued Military Influence
One result of the May riots was that the military appeared to remain the power behind the throne. In 2004, General Susilo_Bambang_Yudhoyono became president.
Last updated: 05-07-2005 09:48:53
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
