Ex-President Suharto, justice and respect for the dead
For Asians there is this respect and reverence for the dead. I remember a neighbor of mine who had a feud with another going to the other party’s funeral and thus ending the feud. There is little relevance to taking it beyond the grave.
But forgiveness in easier said than done. Sometimes we feel it is unfair. Justice thwarted. This person leaving the scene before paying his dues for the ‘sins we presume he has committed’. We are the ones left behind with all the emotional baggage.
But how powerful is a being after death? I presume a dead person tells no tales and presumably just lies there to rot until it returns to its elements. I do not wish to refer to the spiritual state as the Buddhists, Christians, Hindus,etc all have different versions of the after-life. But the physical being is not meant to be immortal.
Thus when ex-Indonesian President Suharto, passed away, the official messages of condolences were forthcoming from all sectors of society. They extolled the wonderful things President Suharto had done, the prosperity he had brought to his country, the stability his reign had bestowed upon Indonesia and the economic prosperity.
Little has been said about the massive corruption, the rampant human rights abuses and that the ex-President together with his cronies were a heavy burden on the nation: an estimated USD35 billion ( source: Transparency International ). He is accused of the mass killing of about half a million suspected communists communists in 1965-1966. If a single drop of blood weighing a gram from each of the half a million victims were to be poured into a tank, the combined weight would weigh 500kg.
For a while, it seemed that ex-President Suharto would be brought to justice. But in the end for ‘health’ reasons, the case was dropped. For many, his death and easy exit from this world leaves a sour taste in their mouths.
His death is a tragedy for all the victims of his crimes will never get justice so said Budiman Sudjatmiko who was jailed as a student under the Suharto regime. Some hail him as a national hero. Some hail him as fit to be up there with Pol Pot and Hitler. Will history treat him kindly?
Bengbeng | Politics and politicians
With great power comes great responsibility. Just like his historical predecessors Shi Huang Ti, Mao Tse Tung, etc, dealing with a greatly diversed population scattered out in a vast area, he had to make decisions for the sake of holding the country together. And to ensure that the majority survive, he had to sacrifice some of the minority. In the end, some will hail him as a hero while others, looking at the darker side will condemn him. In the end, he is just a part of history. Those who hold a grudge against him will only bear the burden by themselves.
but it does seem unfair
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Forgiving people is indeed a very difficuit thing to master. Normally the feud will only go away with wind after one party had passed away.
For those grieving from injustice, Suharto will be judged in the afterlife.
For those extolling his contribution, be mindful that they have not been achieved without sacrifice to justice and fairness.