Through increased federalization in Bali and other Indonesian islands (i.e. growth of local autonomy over the economy throughout Indonesia), the impact of the falling dollar and trade with the USA is not as strong as it was a decade ago—except in the area of petroleum sales.
Any international investment losses from the U.S.A are slowly and consistently being recovered, though, by petrodollars from the Middle East being transferred to investment projects in both China and in Southeast Asia. [China is also a big investor in Southeast Asia.]
Sadly, as far as Bali goes, it still suffers under the stigma of having had two terrorist attacks this decade on its tourism industry. However, the federal government of Indonesia has recently increased its level of visible protection of the island’s tourism efforts—even as the federal budget has continued to reduce defense spending per capita in order to increase spending on social and educational infrastructure.
MEMORIES OF SUHARTOAfter ex-dictator Suharto’s death on Sunday, January 27, the current president of Indonesia called for a week of mourning.
From a modern Western perspective, this call for empathy with the Suharto family appears to be an amazing turn-around in the fortunes of the Suhartos, who are still facing charges in court for embezzling 1.5 billion dollars which peoples throughout Indonesia had donated to provide scholarships to students.
Does this attempt at reconciliation with Suharto supporters and the supporter family pose a threat to democracy on the island? Actually, it appears to be a traditional means of moving on with life and reducing the negative influence of memories on the past in the present-day Indonesian archipelago.
Even more interesting than the official 7-days of mourning is the largess or gesture of forgiveness offered recently by the head of East Timor, a land invaded and occupied by Suharto’s Indonesian forces in 1975—i.e. as Henry Kissinger and cronies stood by.
Last week, the current President of East Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta, called for his nation to forgive the “ailing” ex-dictator of Indonesia, Suharto.
Agence France-Presse reports that the East Timorese president had stated, “It is impossible for us to forget the past, but East Timor should forgive him before he dies, I ask people to pray for Suharto as the former president of Suharto.”
This is a quite amazing approach to an ex-dictator who has been charged with genocide in both Indonesian and international courts.
For example, according to the CIA’s own reports in the 1960s, during Suharto’s takeover of the country [in 1965-1966], anywhere from ½ a million to one million Indonesians died or were massacred.
Moreover, in the takeover of neighboring East Timor a decade later thousands had died.
On the other hand, as one of the founding members and supporters of ASEAN, Suharto had already begun an image makeover in the West that by the 1990s had him carrying out visits with President Clinton.
In addition, Suharto had successfully settled decades-long disputes with neighboring Malaysia over the control of the large island of Borneo—now shared peacefully among, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Brunei governments as this third millennium dawned.
Conversely, although Suharto and the Suharto family may still have currently some strong backers in- and out of government, Suharto’s death is likely to allow the Shadow of his iron-fisted regime to more quietly recede from memory of the newer generations of Indonesians. The youth of modern Indonesia have already seen two free elections since people-power ousted Suharto from power a decade ago.
Alas, the legacy of crony capitalism and corruption of Suharto will continue to haunt the coming generations of Indonesians, i.e. those who try to build a new and better world for their children in the 21st Century.
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