Soeharto ruled like a king: Experts

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta

Former strongman Soeharto who died Sunday and was buried at a family mausoleum Monday, ruled Indonesia like a Javanese king, experts said.

Sudharmono, a javanologist from the Sebelas Maret University in Surakarta, said Soeharto was acting as a king when he ruled Indonesia from 1966 to 1998.

He said this saw Soeharto free to do what he wanted and to give anything he intended to anyone he liked.

"During his reign, he perceived himself as the sole owner of Indonesian territory," Sudharmono said.

"He lent the land to the people, who in turn had to pay the rent for the well-being of the king," he said.

Murtidjono, an intellectual from Surakarta, said such an attitude possibly led to his decision to build a family mausoleum on the slope of Mount Lawu, despite his right to be buried at the Kalibata National hero cemetery in South Jakarta.

Murtidjono said the development of the family cemetery followed the royal tradition of building royal cemeteries such as the one in Mangadeg (for Surakarta kings) and in Imogiri (for Yogyakarta kings).

"Soeharto has an obsession to be a king because of his own background from an ordinary family," he said.

By building his own mausoleum, Soeharto might have expected people would flock to his tomb to seek his after-life blessing, Murtidjono said.

He cited the tomb of Indonesia's first president Sukarno in Blitar, East Java, as an example of a private cemetery that has attracted ordinary people to visit the tomb.

This happens, Murtidjono said, because people consider Sukarno as a great man according to the Javanese cosmic teaching.

Whether people would seek Soeharto's after-life blessing, would remain to be seen, he said.

A member of the Surakarta royal family who asked for anonymity, said Soeharto's Javanese cosmic beliefs had strongly influenced all of his policies and the decisions he made for his family and the people.

"Soeharto's spiritual life was principally based on the Kejawen Javanese mysticism," the source said Monday.

"That was why his critics frequently likened his leadership with Mataram King Amangkurat IV who dismissed rebellious Islamic regents during his reign."

During his life, Soeharto fasted a lot and visited "sacred places" across the archipelago to fill in and maintain his personal spirituality.

The source said Soeharto became like a part of the Surakarta royal family after he bought a royal house, the Kalitan in Surakarta, and after he built the Astana Giribangun family cemetery at a hill near the royal cemetery of Mangadeg.