Indonesia ATL: The Presidency of Try Sutrisno (1997-)

[Pilatypus]

21st December 1998:
Trucks bringing quite literally a wad of money arrived at the Bank Indonesia (BI) building. Overseeing the large amount of cash being unloaded were Mar’ie Muhammad, Boediono, and Head of IBRA Bambang Subianto.

“This represents the first installment of the BLBI Repayments as agreed to in September”, announced Bambang Subianto.

This part puts a smile on me.

Comparison with Indonesia’s OTL 1998 Economic report card:
-Economic growth: -13% (https://ekonomi.kompas.com/read/2012/10/05/11473246/indonesia.perlu.10.tahun.pulih.dari.krisis)
-Unemployment Rate: 20% (https://news.detik.com/kolom/4032343/memori-krisis-moneter-19971998)
-Inflation: 78% (https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2018/05/21/inflasi-sempat-melambung-hingga-77-pada-1998)

Holy shit that is a huge improvement compared to OTL. Economic growth is actually positive and unemployment and inflation is severely reduced. But politicians will be politicians I guess. I wish this happened OTL but you have to have comparison against what could have happened to really appreciate the way Try's government handled things.

 

[GSD310]

But politicians will be politicians I guess.

I think the unintentional effect of Soeharto's death and Try's handling of the crisis is that it spared Soeharto the events that led to his downfall. The nation never saw Soeharto bending down to sign the agreement with the IMF or the May 1998 Riots. The consequence of which is that Tutut, the Soeharto family, and their families are still quite serious players in ITTL's political scene.

Regarding ITTL Indonesian economy in 1998 being better than OTL Indonesian economy in 1998, one of the things Try will encounter ITTL is how taken for granted his handling of the crisis will be.

 

[GSD310]

Dawn of 1999
1st January 1999:
Try began the year by watching a movie together with family members at the Bogor Presidential Palace but matters of the state quickly intervened. By midday, the President was in a meeting with State Secretary Edi Sudrajat, Commander of ABRI Wiranto, Chief of BAKIN Ari Sudewo, Army Chief of Staff Agum Gumelar, Chief of ABRI Intelligence Maj. Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, Governor of Central Sulawesi Maj. Gen. Bandjela Paliudju, and Commander of the Sulawesi Regional Military Command Suaidi Marasabessy.

Paliudju and Suaidi reported that there was unrest in the Poso region. A group of youths got into a fight with another group of youths at a mosque, there were sharp weapons involved, local Army and Police units managed to keep the peace for the time being, but the situation remains tense.

“What’s preventing you from dispatching a battalion from Palu or Ujung Pandang?” asked Try.

Tyasno explained that there were various dimensions to the potential conflict: it being a situation involving different ethnicities, it being a “locals vs. transmigrants” situation, and it being a “Muslims vs. Christian” situation. There are also questions about the local Army and Police units’ capacity to enforce order.

“Meaning what?” asked the President.

“Meaning we’re worried that they might take sides with one of the groups in the conflicts, Mr. President”, said Wiranto.

Try thought about it for a moment. He ordered Wiranto and Agum to come up with contingency plans in case the situation at Central Sulawesi becomes worse as well as more attention by ABRI, Army Headquarters, and BAKIN for Central Sulawesi.

2nd January 1999:
President Try Sutrisno holds an Iftar/New Years’ Function at the Presidential Palace. The event was attended by the nation’s highest office holders, members of the political elite, and other luminaries.

Once everyone has had their meals and broke off to socialize, Try found himself chatting at his table with former Vice President Sudharmono. They talked about various political issues including the proposed Sharia Banking Amendment introduced by the PDI. Sudharmono told Try that there was a delicate balancing act involved. The government’s “counter-amendment” will need to acknowledge Sharia Banking without explicitly endorsing it. Try nodded in agreement.

“Mr. President, I think you still don’t trust Ginandjar enough”, Sudharmono said changing the topic.

“You’re lobbying awfully hard for your protégé, Mr. Vice President” asked Try.

“I still believe you would have had a real fighting chance at the Golkar National Congress if you backed him rather than Harmoko for the chairmanship”, said Sudharmono.

“The opponent is formidable”, shrugged Try “We are all ultimately only acolytes of President Soeharto, not his daughter.”

There was silence.

“He can be useful for your government, Mr. President”, said Sudharmono.

3rd January 1999:
On a Sunday morning program on RCTI hosted by Desi Anwar, DPR Member/Chairman of the PDI Soerjadi was interviewed on the Sharia Banking Amendments he introduced the previous month in the DPR. Soerjadi said that although the PDI has nationalist roots, the PDI must also look at things from other dimensions, including the interests of the majority. When asked, Soerjadi denied that the initiative for the Sharia Banking Amendments came from outside of the PDI.

4th January 1999:
Try chaired a full cabinet meeting attended by all ministers, officials of ministerial ranks, and the heads of the non-departmental government agencies. The only agenda was a presentation on the Draft Budget to be introduced by the President the next day conducted by Minister of Finance Mar’ie Muhammad. The cabinet resolved to approve the Draft Budget.

In an Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting, Tutut Soeharto resigned from her position as CEO of Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada. Tutut said that the time has come for her to focus fully on her duties as Chairwoman of Golkar and as a servant to the nation.

5th January 1999:
In front of a DPR Session led by Chairman of the DPR Harmoko, President Try Sutrisno introduced the Draft Budget for Fiscal Year 1999/2000. Here are some excerpts of the speech:

“This budget is of vital importance. Its expenditure will reflect the priorities of the Seventh Five Year Development Plan (Repelita VII), though the Repelita VII will only be unveiled in full in March. It thus represents the next step in our nation’s journey towards a just and prosperous society based on Pancasila….

More immediately, this budget reflects a turning point in our recent journey as a nation. It marks the point where we transition from weathering the tide of the Asian Financial Crisis to getting out of crisis. From damage limitation to recovery…

The government thus adopted the following fiscal strategy. In the previous year, we had a budget and a stimulus package. This year, the budget is our stimulus package…

We will be putting our focus on physical infrastructure not only because these investments are good for their own sake but because they will boost our construction sector and create employment for those working in those sectors….

The expenditure I am proposing will be modest. Not all of the projects which have been ceased or delayed by President Soeharto has been restored and the projects by themselves will not be sufficient to address all of our needs at the present time. This is by design because the government is seeking to formulate a prudent budget; one that will stay in surplus and one where the revenue will be drawn from an economy that is still recovering….”

Budget Highlights:
The Budget continues the spending programs of the stimulus package with the following additions:
Roads:
*JORR-WI (Jakarta)
*Tangerang-Serpong Toll Road (Jakarta)
*Ulujami-Pondok Aren Toll Road (Jakarta)
*Antasari-Depok Toll Road (Jakarta)
*Cikampek-Padalarang Toll Road (West Java)
*Semarang-Demak Toll Road (Central Java)
*Gresik-Tuban Toll Road (East Java)
*Bandar Lampung-Terbanggi Toll Road (Lampung)
*Medan-Binjai Toll Road (North Sumatra)
*Medan-Kuala Namu (North Sumatra)
*Kuala Namu-Tebing Tinggi (North Sumatra)

Transportation:
*Kuala Namu International Airport (North Sumatra)
*Kumai Harbour (Central Kalimantan)

Energy:
*North Sulawesi Transmission Line and Sub-Station (North Sulawesi)

Education:
Funding will be provided towards the construction of 30 new Technical Secondary Schools and refurbishments of 150 present Technical Secondary Schools to provide more places and better facilities for those wishing to acquire skills for the workforce. At present, Indonesia has 751 technical secondary schools.

Health:
Construction of second floors will begin on 700 Community Health Centers across Indonesia to add more beds as well as to provide more space for the Community Health Centers to convey their services to members of the community. 1,000 Auxiliary Community Health Centers will be refurbished. At present, Indonesia has 7,106 Community Health Centers and 19,977 Auxiliary Community Health Centers.

Civil Service Recruitment:
Recruitment for the civil service will be focused towards recruiting front-line services such as teachers as well doctors, nurses, and paramedics to man schools and Community Health Centers.

----
On the budget, the projects I mentioned are part of Presidential Decision 39/1997 which delayed/placed government projects under review in September 1997. If you want to see one of the effects of the Asian Financial Crisis on Indonesia, I suggest looking at this list of projects. It showed that the government lost the capacity to build infrastructure for quite some time. There are projects on that list which were only completed under the present Jokowi Presidency and there are still others which have only just begun. The said Presidential Decision 39/1997 can be found here: https://peraturan.bkpm.go.id/jdih/userfiles/batang/Kepres_39_1997.pdf

I found an online version of Soeharto's 1998 Accountability Address and its accompanying appendices at https://www.bappenas.go.id/id/data-...rtanggungjawaban-presiden-tahun-1993-sd-1998/. The specific numbers of technical secondary schools and Community Health Centers are from Chapters 17 and 18 of that speech.

 

[GSD310]

The Banking Law
6th January 1999:
The Rupiah which had stabilized at the Rp. 4,600-4,605 to the dollar mark mark over the last three months reached Rp. 4,597 to the dollar in response to the Budget Speech. Interviewed by TVRI, DPR Ary Mardjono said he thought the budget was too conservative and thought that more spending was in order if the government’s aim was to stimulate the economy.

But the President had other things on his mind.

A war council was held today. President Try Sutrisno, State Secretary Edi Sudrajat, Deputy State Secretary Soedibyo Rahardjo attended on behalf of the executive while Chairman of DPR Harmoko, Vice Chairman of DPR Hari Sabarno, Leader of Golkar in the DPR Irsyad Sudiro, Leader of ABRI in the DPR Fachrul Rozi, and Matori Abdul Djalil of the PPP attended on behalf of the DPR.

The meeting ended Matori bluntly telling the President that there would not be unanimous support for the bill. 11 PDI members will vote against the bill while out of PPP’s 89 members, 45-50 membes will vote against the bill. Fachrul Rozi said that ABRI members in the DPR will vote the way it’s ordered to. Soedibyo Rahardjo said if the same 49 Golkar members that voted against anti-monopoly law voted against the banking bill, a total of 105-110 DPR members will be voting against the bill.

“It’s still small in the scheme of things, Mr. President”, Harmoko quipped “110 out out of 500 is not even 25% of the votes.”

“It’s still larger than the vote against the Anti-Monopoly Bill, Mr. Chairman”, said Try “And from across Golkar, PPP, and PDI to boot.”

“True. But I think Mr. Matori’s right”, retorted Harmoko “We can no longer expect unanimous support for this new banking bill and with the budget needing to be passed as well, we can’t afford to let this stalling go on for too long.”

7th January 1999:
On the television screen, President Try stood with Minister of Forestry and Environment Ardans and Governor of Aceh Syamsuddin Mahmud as he unveiled a plaque which declared Gunung Leusar National Park in Aceh, an area 2.6 million hectares in size as a conservation area.

Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications Ginandjar Kartasasmita sat watching the live coverage. Sitting on the couch in front of him, also watching the television was Chairwoman of Golkar Tutut Soeharto.

“As I was saying before”, said Ginandjar “The President, in his capacity as Chairman of the Council of Patrons, is asking you to support his Banking Bill.”

“And we have”, said Tutut “The bill has finally passed its DPR Committee and was due to be voted upon until the Chairman of the PDI introduced an amendment calling for the proposed bill to acknowledge Sharia Banking.”

“Yes I understand”, said Ginandjar “The President will be introducing his own amendment to the DPR next week and he would like your support and for General Hartono and his caucus to support that in the DPR chamber.”

“The stance of Golkar’s National Headquarters is that the Shari Banking Amendments is a matter of conscience”, countered Tutut “If there are members who would like to vote with Mr. Harmoko, I can’t stop them. If there are those who would like to vote with Mr. Hartono, I can’t stop them either.”

The talks soon went around in circles and it was time for Ginandjar to leave. Ginandjar and Tutut waited on the steps of the Golkar National Headquarters for his car to arrive. When it arrived and Ginandjar went to get inside the car, Tutut had some parting words for him.

“You were one of my father’s best ministers, Mr. Ginandjar”, said Tutut “What a shame to see you so misused like this.”

“I’m in charge of the nation’s media and telecommunication networks”, replied Ginandjar “And I’m also the President’s liaison with you on Golkar matters, Madam Chairwoman.”

“I know”, said Tutut “But I still think he’s holding back on what he could give to you, considering the fact that you got him over the line last March.”

8th January 1999:
The President, on the second day of his visit to Aceh, met with Governor of Aceh Syamsuddin Mahmud in the morning. The latter expressed his appreciation that the Minister of Home Affairs had come by earlier in the week to say that the President has ordered him to examine into what options are available regarding the provinces having more control over revenue.

After attending Friday Prayer at Banda Aceh’s Baitturohman Mosque, Try headed back to Jakarta.

10th January 1999:
In the afternoon, Try, accompanied by Edi Sudrajat and Minister of Religious Affairs Quraish Shihab, met with Prof. Dr. Nurcholish Madjid the Rector of Paramadina University and an esteemed intellectual. After the meeting, Nurcholish flanked by Edi and Quraish faced the press. Edi gave the introductory remarks saying that the President wanted Nurcholish’s input on recent political developments most specifically the Sharia Banking Amendments that is in front of the DPR.

“I told the President what I know that those who want to insert Sharia into the 1945 Constitution, as well as into legislations, don’t know or don’t understand Indonesian society”, said Nurcholish.

11th January 1999:
Vice President JB Sumarlin met with IMF Deputy Managing Director Stanley Fischer for the IMF’s tri-monthly consultations. After a meeting, the two held a joint press conference where Fischer spoke glowingly of the Indonesian economy.

“From an economic perspective, Indonesa has recorded impressive numbers. You compare Indonesia’s numbers with neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Philippines, and it is impressive. Of course Indonesia’s not out of the woods yet but it’s an achievement that you cannot take for granted”, said Fischer.

“What do you think of the President’s Draft Budget?” asked a reporter.

“I think it is a responsible budget and he should be commended for it”, said Fischer “But I think it could have been more prudent and with a larger surplus.”

Meanwhile, President Try met with Chairman of BP-7 Soegiarto and discussed about the “Sharia Banking Amendments”. Soegiarto said that Try has got to be strong and not take the “populist” road because from an ideological standpoint, Indonesia is not based on Sharia Law.

12th January 1999:
At the DPR building today, Edi Sudrajat and Deputy State Secretary Soedibyo Rahardjo reintroduced the government’s counter-amendment. In his speech, Edi said that while there are alternative banking arrangements, these alternative arrangements should be recognized equally without one gaining prominence over the other. The government will acknowledge that there are “religious-based banking” but that it will not acknowledge what this type of banking is specifically ie. if churches or temples would like to establish crediting or financing institutions, they can do so and be classified in this group.

From the head of the assembly room, Harmoko summed up the arguments. The new Banking Bill proposed to the DPR by the government uses the same reference to the existing Banking Law; namely, that there are “profit-sharing banks”.

The DPR now has two proposed amendments regarding this reference:

*All references to “Profit-sharing banks” be replaced with “Banks operating under the Sharia Principle”
*All references to “Profit-sharing banks” be replaced with “Profit-sharing and religious-based banks”.

13th January 1999:
The President went to inspect Pulo Gadung Bus Terminal accompanied by Minister of Transportation Soerjadi Soedirja, Minister of Population, Transmigration, and Rural Development Hendropriyono and Governor of Jakarta Sutiyoso. The four officers were checking the situation on the ground as people were beginning to leave Jakarta as part of the Eid’l Fitr migration. For one day at least, the terminal was cleared of all ticket scalpers. The President was greeted warmly though there was one challenging question:

“Mr. President, will we be allowed to return to Jakarta and work again? It seems that Mr. Hendropriyono and Governor Sutiyoso are telling us to go back to our villages and not come back”, the woman said.

“If you are employed and you’ve got the proper papers then by all means, Ma’am”, said the President “If you are working informally, then you have much better prospects in the villages than in cities like Surabaya, Medan, or Jakarta for that matter. Right now there’s a lot more people filling up our temporary shelters than there are jobs in the city.”

At the DPR, the debate over the “Sharia Banking Amendments” got underway. DPR Member Marzuki Darusman spoke vehemently in favor of the government’s amendments saying that what “the nation needed is leadership on economic matters rather than provocative and symbolic gestures.”

The day ended with Harmoko announcing that the vote on what amendments the DPR will agree to will be made tomorrow.

14th January 1999:
In a joint statement, Chairman of PPP Ismail Hasan Metareum, Chairwoman of Golkar Tutut Soeharto, and Chairman of PDI Soerjadi said that DPR members from the three organizations are free to vote for whatever amendments they so choose based on conscience.

Edi Sudrajat set up a command post in the State Secretariat with Soedibyo Rahardjo keeping a close watch on events at the DPR building.

The DPR building itself had to have Army and Police personnel deployed against it for demonstrations were held by KISDI supporting the Sharia Banking Amendments.

The last of the debates were concluded in the afternoon. Votes were taken , counted, and it was 11.30 PM when Harmoko announced the results:

“The votes are as follows: 388 votes in favor of the Banking Bill with amendments as proposed by the government and 112 votes in favor of the Banking Bill with amendments as proposed by Mr. Soerjadi by the PDI. The bill with amendments as proposed by the government is therefore passed into law.”

15th January 1999:
The President had Iftar with the ABRI Retirees Association (Pepabri) and its Chairman, former Vice Chairman of the DPR/MPR Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Saiful Sulun. After dinner, Try rose in his seat and spoke to those present.

“People come and talk to me to say “At last our generation is at the helm of the nation” and I would say yes, I agree. But at the same time there isn’t much time to smell the roses. Most of us in this generation are retired officers. A few has even passed on. There’s not much time. We have to make what time we have count and make our contribution to the country.”

18th January 1999:
The President swore in a batch of ambassadors. The most notable of this batch was Hartarto, who was Soeharto’s cabinet minister for 15 years who wil now be the new Indonesian Ambassador to Japan.

President Try signed the Banking Bill passed by the DPR into law.

----
The Banking Law just passed is the same as the law passed by Habibie but minus the references to Sharia Banking.
https://www.bi.go.id/en/tentang-bi/uu-bi/Documents/act_1098e.pdf

 

[Roon]

Very good TL. More is needed. A LOT more!

 

[GSD310]

Very good TL. More is needed. A LOT more!

Thank you very much, Sir. Hope you have learned something new in this TL.

Special thanks to @Rezky who read through the whole TL up to this point.

 

[Rezky]

I dont comment much.

But i like this TL, it is quite detailed.

 

[GSD310]

Cable from US Embassy in Jakarta:
Bearing in mind President Try Sutrisno’s upcoming visit to the United States in early February, we feel that this is a good time to provide the White House with a biographical sketch the 3rd President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Early Life
Try Sutrisno was born on 15th November 1935 in Surabaya, East Java. The son of an Army medical officer, Try wanted to participate in the Indonesian War of Independence but was much too young and had to settle with being a courier.

His entry into the Indonesian Army came in 1956 when he joined the Army Technical Academy, a training school which prepared him for the life of a military engineer. He graduated from the academy in 1959 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Over the next 13 years, Try was stationed in South Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi, Jakarta, and East Java, slowly working his way up the rank in the Army’s Engineers’ Corps.

Turning Point
Try’s turning point came in 1972 when as a major, he attended the Army Staff and Command College. Not only did he acquaint himself with those who would become part of his inner circle, Try also participated in an Army Seminar concerned with the passing of the Army’s institutional values to young officers. Try, speaking on behalf of the younger generation of officers, committed his generation’s officers to preserving the Army’s non-military role. It was a speech which impressed the Army’s older and most senior officers.

From that point on, Try never received an Army Engineers related assignment. Instead, in 1974 he was selected to become President Soeharto’s aide-de-camp. It was an important assignment that brought Try within proximity of Soeharto and allowed the latter to get to know him.

After this assignment, Try’s career trajectory never faltered. In 1978, he became 2nd in command at the Nusa Tenggara Regional Military Command which had jurisdiction over East Timor. He then became Commander of the Southern Sumatra Regional Military Command in 1979 before returning to Jakarta in 1982 as Commander of the Jakarta Regional Military Command.

It was as Commander of the Jakarta Regional Military Command that Try became embroiled in an incident. In September 1984, demonstrations were held in Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok region against the alleged desecration of a mosque whereupon Try ordered his men, including an anti-aircraft artillery battalion, to crack down on demonstrators. The death toll for this crackdown, according to the government, was 24 though it has been alleged by dissidents that the death toll in the hundreds.

Despite this, Try continued to enjoy Soeharto’s favor. 1985 saw Try promoted to Deputy Army Chief of Staff and 1986 saw Try appointed Army Chief of Staff.

Commandership of ABRI
Try became Commander of ABRI in February 1988, stepping into the shoes of Gen. Benny Moerdani who had established himself as the second most powerful man in Indonesia behind Soeharto.

As Commander of ABRI, Try enforced Soeharto’s rule over Indonesia. In August 1990, Try began conducting Soeharto’s most recent campaign against Acehnese separatist, a campaign which still continues to this day. In November 1991, Try defended units which had shot at East Timorese demonstrators in East Timor’s capital of Dili. He famously said that the notion that the East Timorese demonstrators were demonstrating peacefully was “Bullshit”.

Politically, Try became Commander of ABRI at a crucial time. Soeharto’s relationship with ABRI was at a low with Soeharto losing his trust in ABRI and ABRI beginning to think that Soeharto had held power for too long. This situation resulted in the President using Minister of Research and Technology BJ Habibie and the Indonesian Islamic Intellectuals Association (ICMI) as a counter-balance to ABRI.

Try was caught in the middle. He could not stand up to Soeharto on ABRI’s behalf, failing to stop Soeharto’s from establishing Habibie and ICMI as counterbalances to ABRI. At the same time, he did little to rein in ABRI’s critical attitude towards Soeharto and protected officers in ABRI Headquarters from Soeharto when the latter called for their removal.

First In Line
ABRI’s conflict with Soeharto led to the former imposing its will on the latter. With the 1993 MPR Session on the horizon and Soeharto’s re-election to a sixth term all but certain, ABRI Chief of Socio-Political Affairs Staff Harsudiono Hartas famously nominated Try as vice president rather than wait for Soeharto to indicate his preferences. The political elite, thinking the nomination had been approved by Soeharto, fell in line and Try was elected as Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. Try himself said that everyone should wait for Soeharto to make his choice but by that time, a momentum had built up behind his candidacy as vice president.

Soeharto’s wrath took the form of Try’s exclusion from decision making. Try’s photograph hung next to Soeharto’s and he got to sit next to the President in state events but Try had little in terms of power and influence.

Try was 102 days away from the end of his term as vice president, with little prospect of Soeharto wanting him to be re-elected, when the latter died from stroke.

Personal Life
Try is happily married to Tuti Setiawati and has 7 children with her. Try’s eldest daughter is married to Maj. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, presently Commander of the East Java Regional Military Command. He has one son who has joined the Army and another who has joined the Police.

Career of Try Sutrisno:
*1959-1962: Platoon Commander at Southern Sumatra Regional Military Command’s Battle Engineers
*1962-1963: Platoon Commander at the Theater Command to Liberate West Irian’s Construction Engineers
*1963-1965: Company Commander at Southern Sumatra Regional Military Command’s Construction Engineers
*1965-1967: Company Commander at Jakarta Regional Military Command’s Engineering Company
*1967-1968: Deputy Headquarters Detachment Commander at the Army Engineering Corps Headquarters
*1968-1970: Deputy Battalion Commander at the West Java Regional Military Command’s 9th Battle Engineers Battalion
*1970-1971: Battalion Commander at Kostrad’s 10th Battle Engineers Battalion
*1971-1972: Attended Army Staff and Command College
*1972-1974: Bureau Chief at the Army Headquarters’ Operations Section
*1974-1978: Aide-de-Camp to the President
*1978-1979: Chief of Staff at the Nusa Tenggara Regional Military Command
*1979-1982: Commander of the Southern Sumatra Regional Military Command
*1982-1985: Commander of the Jakarta Regional Military Command
*1985-1986: Deputy Army Chief of Staff
*1986-1988: Army Chief of Staff
*1988-1993: Commander of ABRI
*1993-1997: Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia
*1997-now: President of the Republic of Indonesia

Promotions:
*1959: Second Lieutenant
*1962: First Lieutenant
*1966: Captain
*1970: Major
*1972: Lieutenant Colonel
*1976: Colonel
*1979: Brigadier General
*1982: Major General
*1985: Lieutenant General
*1987: General

---
Just a bit of a tangent considering that it is Try Sutrisno's birthday featuring a biographical sketch and a timeline of his career. Mostly to provide background and context.

 

[GSD310]

A Busy January
19th January 1999:
Eid’l Fitr Day and Try was glad that his official duties for the day had ended with his attendance of the Eid Prayers at Istiqlal Mosque. After that, it was back to the Presidential Palace for a feast with the family. It was late afternoon, Try was digging in into some lontong when his aide-de-camp Colonel Budiman came holding a mobile phone, and the First Lady sighed immediately knowing that there was something which will require the President’s attention.

When Try arrived at the State Secretariat, State Secretary Edi Sudrajat and Chief of BAKIN Ari Sudewo were there. As were Commander of ABRI Wiranto, Army Chief of Staff Agum Gumelar, Navy Chief of Staff Suratmin, Air Force Chief of Staff Djatmiko, Chief of Police Luthfi Dahlan, Chief of General Staff Widodo AS and Chief of ABRI Intelligence Tyasno Sudarto.

“This is something to do with Central Sulawesi?” asked Try when he saw Tyasno in the room.

“No, Mr. President. It’s Maluku”, replied Wiranto before going into his briefing.

*A few hours ago in Ambon, the Capital City of Maluku, there was an incident where two youths got into an altercation with one another. The two youths were of different faiths, one being Protestant and the other being Muslim. As of this moment is a riot is under way in the city with mobs forming along religious lines and rumors spreading and inciting the city’s inhabitants.

*There are “Locals vs. transmigrants” and “Muslims vs. Christians”dynamics at work in Ambon and that these dynamics were fuelling the riots.

*The dilemma of the situation is that Maluku falls under the jurisdiction of the Irian Jaya Regional Military Command. With the result being that during these kinds of situations, there is confusion as to how to both restore order in Maluku without sending troops from Irian Jaya.

“What about the Sulawesi Regional Military Commander?” asked Try “Could he send some men over?”

“The transmigrants in Ambon and presently being involved in the riots are ethnic groups from Sulawesi, Mr. President”, said Wiranto “We don’t know how long the rank and file soldiers can maintain discipline and enforce order without “taking sides””.

---
As the War Council met, the television networks began to report on and broadcasting images of the events in Maluku. Some tried to get a scoop by contacting those on the ground where garbled responses of “Muslims are being attacked by Christians” are heard.

---
The meeting broke up both for dinner and to allow for others to come in and join the meeting, such as Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas. The President took his dinner with Edi, Harsudiono, and Ari Sudewo. They asked Try what he intended to do.

“Is that not too drastic?” asked Harsudiono after Try told them.

“We’ve got to nip it in the bud”, said Try “Restore order there as quickly as possible. Don’t let it linger or carry on or whatever you want call it. We got control back in East Timor back in our hands because we acted quickly and this will be no different.”

---
After dinner, the President met with the officials he had met before dinner plus Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of Defense and Security Wismoyo Arismunandar, Minister of Legal Affairs Albert Hasibuan, and Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications Ginandjar Kartasasmita. Attending via telephone was Governor of Maluku Saleh Latuconsina and Commander of the Irian Jaya Regional Military Command Yudhomo Sastrosunardjo.

Governor Latuconsina reported on the situation from the ground saying that Ambonese wanting to stay out of trouble are looking for refuge in Military and Police installations around the city. Try ordered the Latuconsina to open the doors of government buildings to be used as refuge.

Try told them what his decision was. All concurred. Ali Alatas and Hasibuan, being the two civilians, added the input that the government should work towards solving underlying issues in Ambon such as the communal tensions. Ginandjar said that he has faith the communal tensions will be resolved, it was just the case that the President and the government will need to have the option of using force. Try noted the way with which Ginandjar defended the President’s position.

At 10.30 PM, with the orders finalized and cameras set out, Try addressed the nation from his office.

“Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

First of all I would like to wish all of you who are celebrating a very Happy Eid’l Fitr. Minal Aidin Walfaidzin Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin.

Fellow Indonesians, by now you would all have heard the distressing news coming out from Ambon in the Province of Maluku. A most distressing news on this most joyful of all days.

I would like to take this opportunity to state my condemnation of the events happening in Ambon and to call for a stop to all of the violence. I call upon all members of the community in Ambon regardless of ethnicity, religion, and class to remain calm and to not fall prey to any provocation. I call upon soldiers, sailors, airmen, and policemen of ABRI stationed in Ambon to maintain discipline.

Fellow Indonesians, having met with the members of the cabinet’s national security ministers and ABRI’s top brass this afternoon and evening, I have decided that immediate action must be taken to restore order in Ambon. The steps which will be taken are as follows:

There will be a State of Military Emergency in place on the Island of Ambon as of the conclusion of the statement which I have just read. This State of Military Emergency will be administered by Maj. Gen. (Marines) Sudarsono Kasdi who is presently the Commander of the Marine Corps.

At this moment, the Administrator of the State of Military Emergency is preparing for departure to Ambon with the support of the Marine Corps’ 1st Infantry Brigade and the Battalion 462 of the Air Force’s Special Forces Corps…”

20th January 1999:
In the morning Navy Chief of Staff Suratmin accompanied Sudarsono Kasdi to the Palace, the latter reporting for duty because he was about to depart for Ambon. The President wished him the best of luck.

From there, President Try held an Open House at the Presidential Palace to greet well wishers whether they be elites, members of the diplomatic corps, and members of the general public. There was a lot of camera snaps when Try shook hands with Chairwoman of Golkar Tutut Soeharto after which the latter effusively expressed her support for Try’s decision to declare a State of Military Emergency in Ambon Island.

It was a quiet day considering the nation was still on holiday mode. Within the foreign correspondents circle in Jakarta, there were questions about whether Try was actually more “hardcore” than Soeharto when dealing with security issues. “14 months into his Presidency and Try had remilitarized East Timor and declared a State of Military Emergency in Maluku”, they muttered.

21st January 1999:
Wiranto reported to Try that the Marine Corps’ 1st Infantry Brigade and the Air Force’s Special Forces Corps Battalion now has full control of Ambon. A curfew has been put in place in Ambon while a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people without a legitimate reason in the city has been put in place.

Meanwhile, Air Force planes are flying over Ambon Island spreading leaflets calling for religious and ethnic harmony and that no places of worship had been burned in Ambon.

22nd January 1999:
President Try had a lunch meeting with Wiranto, Edi Sudrajat, Ari Sudewo, Agum Gumelar, Suratmin, Djatmiko, Luthfi Dahlan, and Tyasno Sudarto. Regarding Ambon, it was reported that the Marine Corps continues to consolidate their position in Ambon. Checkpoints have been established throughout and at roads leading in and out of the city.

Ari Sudewo reported that he had received intelligence that “radicals” are intending to go to Ambon to “defend” Muslims against Christians. Try immediately ordered that extra security be dispatched to Ambon’s port and airport.

Regarding the Poso region in Central Sulawesi, the President ordered Luthfi and Tyasno to keep a close surveillance on Poso and arrest immediately those engaging in suspicious activities.

23rd January 1999:
The President and First Lady were guests of honor at Chairwoman of Golkar Tutut Soeharto’s 50th birthday party which was held at the Soeharto’s residence at Cendana Street in Jakarta today. Unexpectedly, Try was called upon to deliver a speech and a toast for Tutut. In his toast, Try congratulated Tutut for making the decision to focus on serving the nation and hopes that she will provide great service for the nation.

From a corner of the room, Governor of Central Java Prabowo Subianto and Tommy Soeharto watched as Tutut responded with an effusive statement of support for the President.

“I wonder how long do we have to keep up this charade?” asked Tommy.

“This is a long game, Tommy”, said Prabowo “We just have to keep on chipping away.”

25th January 1999:
Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications Ginandjar Kartasasmita announced that the President has approved of allowing the TVRI to have commercials so that it can lessen the burden on state finances. This reverses a ban on commercials on TVRI put in place in 1981 by Soeharto designed to make the TVRI rely purely on the Government for its financing.

Chairman of Muhammadiyah Amien Rais calls upon the government to investigate whether or not Muslims were being attacked in Ambon.

26th January 1999:
Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Abdurrahman Wahid says that he believes the government is putting its maximum effort into restoring order at Ambon and that people should refrain from making “incendiary remarks”.

In a press conference at the Department of Health, Minister of Health Broto Wasisto said that the President has approved of health warnings on all cigarette packets starting from the new financial year. The health warnings will warn smokers and potential smokers alike against “cancer, heart conditions, and impotence”.

27th January 1999:
Minister of Finance Mar’ie Muhammad, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Soeyono, Operational Control of Development Secretary Sugeng Subroto and Director General of Taxation Darmin Nasution, ventured outdoors across the road to the Presidential Palace to the National Monument.

There they stuck a Tourism Site Payment Point placard at official tourist sites payment points. Soeyono said that the purpose of the payment point is so that visitors know where to pay for tickets to enter tourist sites rather than pay at “unofficial” payment points where the revenue goes into private pockets rather into the treasury. Mar’ie said that this is part of the President’s initiative to maximize revenue from the tourism sector.

28th January 1999:
TVRI’s evening news program today featured the DPR beginning to look at the budget that that had been proposed by the President. The news bulletin then transitioned to Vice President JB Sumarlin who joined for a live interview. The newsreader asked for the Vice President’s thoughts on the budget process in the DPR and the reactions to the Draft Budget from various DPR members.

“First of all, I hope the budget process will go smoothly”, said Sumarlin “Regarding the reaction to the Draft Budget, I think we’ve had all kinds of responses across the spectrum. Earlier in the month we had a DPR member said that the government could afford to be more expansive in its fiscal policy and spend more. Then Mr. Fischer from the IMF, during his visit, said that the budget could have been more prudent.”

“Is that a good sign, Mr. Vice President?” asked the newsreader.

“Well, it shows that we’ve struck a good balance. Do we want to stimulate economic growth? Of course. But always within the context of a budget surplus. If we run into a deficit then we’ll go down the road that will be more difficult to control.”

29th January 1999:
The President today welcomed Minister of Defense and Security Wismoyo Arismunandar, Governor of Lemhanas Agus Widjojo, and the latest batch of Lemhanas Leadership Course participants at the Presidential Palace. In his keynote address, Try took the opportunity to address the upcoming ABRI Seminar.

“In a little over two weeks’ time, we will be having a seminar hosted by ABRI’s Socio-Political Affairs Staff on the future direction this country is taking. This is a matter which should be a topic of discussion for the nation and it is a discussion which I welcome.

The experience of the previous three decades has shown that there has plenty that has gone right for Indonesia. Stability, economic growth, improved living standards. But I’m not going to pretend that there aren’t any flaws with the way the nation is run. We shouldn’t change everything just for the sake of it, but we shouldn’t sit on our laurels and say what we have now is perfect either.”

1st February 1999:
Starting the day from Bogor Presidential Palace today, President Try and OCDS Sugeng Subroto inspected the Bogor Land Office. People who were waiting in line were surprised to see Try and immediately crowded around him saying that it was such a hassle to get a certificate for their land. One person said that he got his land certificate but he paid a whole load of money for it. Try’s presence got the officers working hard to serve the people lining up at the land office and a refund for the person who had to pay an exorbitant amount of money.

2nd February 1999:
Try had breakfast with Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas. Harsudiono said that he had gone around to the provinces to get a sense of what the governors wanted in terms of more revenue.

“They all want to control more revenue all right but each wants something different”, said Harsudiono “Aceh wants revenue from natural gas, Irian Jaya wants more revenue going their way from the mining that goes on, Bali from the hotels being built. Essentially whatever sector is the strength of a province, they want more revenue from that.”

“I see”, replied Try.

“Central Java wants more than just more revenue, they want more authority over policy”, reported Harsudiono.

“Central Java meaning Prabowo”, said Try.

One of the day’s other meeting was with Head of the National Land Agency (BPN) Bambang Kesowo. Try said that the land certification program has gone on for 17-18 years and the process to get land certificates is still slow. Try told Bambang of his surprise inspection the day prior and says that the latter has two months to turn the direction of the BPN around.

3rd February 1999:
The President today swore in the following:
*Chairman of the National Discipline Movement: Police Gen. (Ret.) Moch. Sanoesi
*Head of the National Anti-Narcotics Office: Police Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Koesparmono Irsan
*Head of the National Disaster Management Coordinating Office: ACM. (Ret.) Rilo Pambudi
*Head of The Utilization of State-Owned Enterprises Office: Bacelius Ruru SH. LLm.
*Chairman of the National Procurement Team: R. Adm. (Ret.) Sumartono
*Chairperson of the Tariff and Fiscal Team: Halida Miljani
*Chairman of the Development of Eastern Indonesia Council: Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Warsito
*Chairman of the Development of Integrated Economic Zones: Ir. Sunaryo Danusaputro
*Head of the National AIDS Council: Dr. Titi Indrijati Soewarso
*Head of the Childrens’ Affairs Office: Dr. Seto Mulyadi

The appointees headed what the State Secretariat determined to be “Special Priorities” programs. In the past, these special appointments were held by ministers however the President had ordered that for these priorities to be attended to, appointees who will be exclusively working on these priorities were required. The first to be appointed to his assignment was Bacelius Ruru with the remaining appointees made over the course of the past 6 months.

---
Well, I decided to have TTL's version of the Ambon riots and some communal tensions in Poso though this will not be as bad as OTL's.

I'm trying to have each update cover a larger time period and am aiming for each update to cover 2 weeks.

 

[GSD310]

4th February 1999:
President Try Sutrisno breakfasted with Chairman of DPR Harmoko. The two talked about about the President’s draft budget with Harmoko commenting that it was a good budget and that it will be passed. The main outcome of the breakfast meeting was Try and Harmoko agreeing to formalize the “war council” that had met to help pass the Banking Law to ensure that future legislation are passed smoothly. This informal council will consist of the President, the State Secretary, and Deputy State Secretary from the executive and the Chairman of the DPR, the Vice Chairman of the DPR from ABRI, the Leader of Golkar in the DPR, and the Leader of ABRI in the DPR.

From this meeting Try went to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport to depart for his overseas trip. His delegation for the trip were:
*Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas
*Minister of Defense and Security Wismoyo Arismunandar
*Minister of Economics and National Development Planning Soedradjad Djiwandono
*Minister of Trade and Investment Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti
*State Secretary Edi Sudrajat
*Head of BKPM Mari Elka Pangestu

On the long flight, Try got through paperwork and spent most of his time being briefed by Ali Alatas and Soedradjad Djiwandono. Meanwhile, Edi sat down with Wismoyo. The two were familiar with each other, when Edi was Army Chief of Staff Wismoyo was Deputy Army Chief of Staff for the final 8 months of the former’s tenure. The two talked about various matters before beginning to talk about the Soeharto family.

“How is the family doing?” asked Edi.

“They’ve had monopolies abolished and contracts cancelled in the time the President has been in office, what do you think?” asked Wismoyo with a chuckle “They’re all over the place. Titiek’s busy being the First Lady of Central Java, Sigit is the quiet one, Mamiek doesn’t have a whole lot of business interest, Bambang still speaks in defense of the President from time to time, Tommy not at all too happy and Tutut is busy being Chairwoman of Golkar. But when they meet they generally agree that they worry about their business interests.”

“The President’s not against them having business interests”, Edi said “He’s against them having special privileges.”

“They don’t see the distinction”, countered Wismoyo “The way they see it, they’re legitimate businesspeople, they got what they have gotten legitimately, and wondering why their father’s former aide-de-camp is not an ally.”

“If the President continues down this road”, Edi began “What will they do?”

“Well, they’re already doing it to the President if you ask me”, said Wismoyo “Tutut’s doing her best to be a thorn in the President’s side in Golkar, then you’ve got Hartono in the DPR trying to hassle the Banking Law, and God knows what Prabowo is up to in Central Java. They didn’t count on the President lasting this long to be honest. They just hoped he’d be a caretaker until the MPR Session and then Tutut would beat both Habibie and Harmoko to become President.”

4th-5th February 1999:
Having crossed the international date line and “gone back in time”, Try’s plane touched down at Ottawa, Canada. He was welcomed on the tarmac by Governor General of Canada Romeo Leblanc.

The more substantive talks, with the sound of protests by pro-East Timor independence activists, were with Prime Minister Jean Chretien in which Chretien pledged more investment and aid. In the press conference after the talks, Chretien said that he is convinced that Indonesia’s stability and the importance of that stability to the Southeast Asian. Try got the tough questions about East Timor but he stonewalled it saying he’s here to build on Indonesian-Canadian ties and that he that he thanked Canda for its investment.

The day ended with a State Dinner hosted by the Governor General.

On the 5th, the President met with Opposition Leader Preston Manning, a visit to the Canadian War Memorial, and a dinner with the Canadian business community.

6th February 1999:
After a breakfast with Chretien at 24 Sussex Street (The Prime Ministerial Residence), Try and his delegation departed Ottawa for New York City. There were hort meetings with Governor of New York Pataki and Mayor of New York City Rudi Giuliani who welcomed him at the airport, the President proceeded to his main event of the day, a luncheon with the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (AICC). The President delivered a speech but was then asked to remain on stage for an impromptu interview. Here are some of the highlights:

Q: In your first few months, actually the first few weeks, you really stuck to the letter to the IMF LOI of October 1997. Famously, Mr. President, you kept a surplus of 1% of GDP but you couldn’t fix potholes in the road. Could you explain your mindset at this point?

Try: I had two advice coming at me. Both said I should commit to the IMF’s terms but for different reasons. The first was that I should carry out the IMF LOI of October 1997 because I had to restore the market’s confidence. The second was that I should carry out the IMF LOI to show the IMF that things were not so good if their terms were carried out to the letter.

Q: Which advise, or what reasoning, did you go with?

Try: I wanted to have both the markets and the people on my side but I knew I had to restore market confidence. If I didn’t get the market on my side, the drop in the currency value would not have been stopped and there would have been little I could do to lighten the burden of the crisis on the people.

Once I showed the IMF that I was committed to the terms it had set out, the IMF was kind enough to give us some leeway and we also had help from Prime Minister Howard of Australia and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore who convinced the IMF that we were committed to the IMF.

But this is something that has to happen constantly. It can’t be a one time deal. I cut fuel subsidies as a prerequisite to the stimulus package last May. But I ensured that the budget was still in surplus even after the stimulus package. Of course, I had to continue to fulfill the terms the IMF had given me.

Q: Some would say that trying for a policy that would cater to the market and the people is a contradiction in terms. Stimulating the economy is normally associated with going into budget deficits. How were you able to achieve such a feat?

Try: I haven’t achieved anything. We’re still not back to our pre-crisis growth rates. But if I can say something, what’s important in all of this was ensuring that our currency stop losing its value. If the Rupiah’s value falls too much then we’d be in an impossible situation of having to choose between restoing market confidence and ensuring that our people are taken care of during the crisis.

Though he had a successful meeting with IMF and AICC, Try was sufficiently exhausted enough to become bed-ridden with a cold.

7th February 1999:
News came from Jordan today that King Hussein had passed away. The delegation met around Try’s bed to decide what would happen. In addition to a condolence statement, Try said that Ali Alatas will represent him at the King’s funeral the next day to allow him some time to recover.

While Ali Alatas departed for Amman in Jordan, Try and his delegation made the short flight from New York City to Washington DC.

With a blocked nose, Try visited the Jordanian Embassy in Washington DC to sign the condolence book. After that he headed to IMF Headquarters where he and his delegation met with Michel Camdessus. Camdessus praised Try for being able to secure the first installment of the BLBI payments as well as passage of the Banking Law. Camdessus however reminds Try of the latter’s commitment to keeping the budget above balance and that the Indonesian government still has not introduced an Bankruptcy Bill as agreed to in the LOI of April 1998.

The President ended the day with a message arriving from the White House that President of the United States Bill Clinton will be out of the country attending King Hussein’s funeral. All meetings with Try will now be delegated to Vice President Al Gore.

8th February 1999:
Edi Sudrajat was jogging on a treadmill at the gym in the hotel when the television conveyed pictures from Amman, Jordan. To his surprise, the first Indonesians he saw were Chairwoman of Golkar Tutut Soeharto and her husband Indra Rukmana. The two greeted King Abdullah and conveyed Indonesia’s condolences. Some minutes later, Ali Alatas looking extremely tired emerged to convey Indonesia’s condolence. After Ali Alatas, Abdullah turned to his aide and audibly said “I thought the Indonesian representation had arrived earlier. There’s 2 Indonesian delegations?”

For the moment, Edi thought he’d keep Try’s attention focused on the meetings today. The day began with a meeting in the Roosevelt Room at the White House: Try and his delegation on one side of the table, Gore and relevant Secretaries and officials on the other side.

The two delegations covered a broad range of issues. But the highlight the meeting came when Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that Try’s rise to the presidency presented a golden opportunity. She called on Try to implement “democratic reforms in addition to economic ones and better observe human rights and democratic principles” and that this will “certainly guarantee your place among the annals of world statesmen”. Edi and Wismoyo, sitting on either side of Try, wished that Ali Alatas was at that table but the President responded in turn.

“We note and agree with you that the passing of President Soeharto presented an opportunity for our nation to review the direction it has been going and where it will be going, Madam Secretary”, said Try “But in leading a nation as large and as diverse as Indonesia during this difficult times, stability is important for our economic recovery.”

The discussions also discussed about the purchase of F-16s which Soeharto cancelled in June 1997 due to Congressional criticism of the then government. Try and Wismoyo told Gore and Secretary of Defense William Cohen that their focus is on economic recovery, not purchasing weaponry at the moment.

Holding a joint press conference together, Try and Gore lost control of the situation. Try fielded questions from Indonesian journalists about Tutut’s presence at King Hussein’s funeral at Jordan to which he could only reply that Tutut has the right to go where she wants as a private citizen. He glanced at Edi each time a Tutut-related question was asked and Edi could only shrug. Gore meanwhile was asked about President Clinton’s upcoming impeachment vote in the Senate.

There was a break in the schedule which Try used to pay respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery. Dinner was a private affair with Gore and Second Lady Tipper Gore at the Vice Presidential Residence at Number One Observatory Circle. While Tipper gave First Lady Tuti Setiawati a tour of the house, Try chatted with Gore at the table.

There was an awkward moment when Try criticized Gore for his comments at the APEC Summit in Kuala Lumpur a few months back but fielding awkward and tough questions at their joint press conference together helped break the ice. Then Gore began talking about other issues.

“You were a vice president too weren’t you, Mr. President”, asked Gore.

“I was”, replied Try “3 months from the end of my term when I got elevated to my position.”

“Your wife must really hate that” joked Gore before looking serious “How do you relate to your predecessor?”

“How do you mean by that?” asked Try.

“I mean do you play up the fact that you were once President Soeharto’s vice president or do you distance yourself from him?” asked Gore.

“It’s not an either or, Mr. Vice President”, said Try “I name my cabinet the Seventh Development Cabinet, my economic plan the Seventh Five Year Development Plan, and retained my ministers of foreign affairs and finance to make an appeal to continuity. Because there’s no point for me trying to distance myself from my predecessor when my photograph hung on all the walls next to his. And if my predecessor has done some good, why should I distance myself from these positive contributions?”

“But say you don’t agree with something that President Soeharto has done, what then?” asked Gore.

Try thought for a moment.

“If I may I would like to ask your discretion, Mr. Vice President”, said Try “This is a response that I’ve only knocked around in my head.”

“Of course, Mr. President”, replied Gore “And I’m sure what I’m asking you will remain between the two of us.”

Try nodded.

“I’ve abolished two monopolies belonging to my predecessor’s son”, began Try “ and I’ve done it so quietly that whatever fuss came out, it didn’t come from me. I didn’t go and make speeches that I’m unlike President Soeharto. I just went ahead and dismantled the monopolies.

My predecessor is still a respected man in my country. Three decades, saving the nation from communism, and better living standards will give him that. But people are not blind to his shortcomings. Most Indonesians acknowledge the good my predecessor has done, but they haven’t exactly stood in my way or complained when I abolished monopolies belong to his son have they? And those who stood, and are still standing, in my way? Well you’re bound to make a few enemies in this line of business.”

“It’s a fine line, Mr. President”, said Gore “To on the one hand not distance yourself from your predecessor but on the other take a different path from some of the things that he has done.”

9th February 1999:
President Try today visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and called on President Bill Clinton briefly at the White House, the latter having arrived from Jordan. Clinton endorsed what Gore and his officials had discussed with Try.

Ali Alatas also arrived from Jordan. But he fainted from the exhaustion of his Jakarta-Ottawa-Washington DC-Amman-Washington DC trip. He was taken to the hospital and had to be left behind in Washington DC.

In the afternoon, Try and his delegation flew out of Washington DC to Montego Bay, Jamaica to attend the G-15 Summit.

Back in Jakarta, Tutut brushes off the notion that she has “upstaged” the government at King Hussein’s funeral and says that she was merely acting out of her own accord as a private citizen to pay her final respects to someone who had been a friend to Indonesia. In the DPR, Hartono said that Tutut has shown “Real leadership” by personally attending the funeral of King Hussein rather than delegating it to someone else.

10th-12th February 1999:
President Try and his delegation attended the G-15 Summit. With Ali Alatas not attending, Wismoyo Arismunandar and Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti stepped in to jointly play the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Summit.

In between meetings, Try met with Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who looked stressed out, clearly with the Malaysian economy (-9 economic growth in 1998) in his mind and a political situation which had not improved.

Try’s concern was how to handle Tutut. He and Edi talked on the phone with Harsudiono Hartas, Ari Sudewo, and Sugeng Subroto. All of Try’s inner circle agreed that the President should return to Jakarta via Amman.

Meanwhile Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications Ginandjar Kartasasmita appeared on TV and when asked regarding this matter said that while he respects Tutut’s initiative, he feels that Tutut should have coordinated his visit to Jordan with the Department of Foreign Affairs to avoid “misunderstanding”.

13th February 1999:
President Try and First Lady Tuti Setiawati along with their delegation paid an unofficial visit to Amman, Jordan. They met with the new King Abdullah and Queen Rania and also paid their respects at the tomb of King Hussein.

Try noted that Hussein, who seemingly was a lot older, was only just one day older than he was; the King’s birthday falling on 14th November 1935.

---
A busy update with Tutut upstaging Try, Ali Alatas falling ill due to the hectic travel schedule, and Try outlining his approach Soeharto to Gore.

 

[GSD310]

14th February 1999:
Having landed in Jakarta, the first order of business was calling a meeting with the “Four Horsemen”. Harsudiono Hartas was livid at Tutut showing up at King Hussein’s funeral without telling anyone and despite Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas being the official representative of the government. Harsudiono said that they need to “take the fight to Tutut”.

“When you say that, what do you mean?” asked Try sounding annoyed “It’s all well and good to say take the fight to them, take the fight to them, but what do you mean by “taking the fight to her”?”

Harsudiono sighed in frustration, silently admitting he was just angry.

“I’ve got the authority to call a Golkar Extraordinary Congress into session but that’s not exactly the best option given that she just beat us there a few months ago, is it?” asked Try sarcastically.

15th February 1999:
On the grounds of the Army Staff and Command College at Bandung, West Java the 1999 ABRI Seminar was opened. The introductory address was delivered by ABRI Chief of Socio-Political Affairs Staff Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who was effusive of President Try for "Graciously allowing this seminar to occur". Yudhoyono unveiled that the title of the seminar was “Indonesia in the Renewal Order” and said that the Renewal Order was a term which the President had introduced in his State Address back in August.

In his own address, Try wished all the speakers all the best of luck and said that he will be watching and paying attention to what the seminar came up with. He then declared the ABRI Seminar Open while hitting a gong.

A team of State Secretariat staffers will stay throughout the seminar to record what was being discussed there.

16th February 1999:
The President held a meeting with Vice President JB Sumarlin, Minister of Economics and National Development Planning Soedradjad Djiwandono, Minister of Finance Mar’ie Muhammad, Governor of BI Boediono, Edi Sudrajat, and Cabinet Secretary Hayono Isman. Try discussed his trip to Washington DC, specifically his meeting at the IMF with Camdessus.

The meeting agreed that the government has been distracted by other matters such as the lengthy passage of the Banking Law, Ramadan Holidays, and the situation at Ambon. As such, the President ordered for an economic policy package to be formulated and put in place before the Repelita VII is due to start on 1st April 1999. The President added that this policy package should both give the economy a boost going into the Repelita VII and but should also be something in line with what the IMF may prescribe as well.

Try and First Lady Tuti Setiawati made a surprise visit to the home of Head of BKPM Mari Elka Pangestu. Try wished Mari and her family a very Happy Chinese New Year.

17th February 1999:
President Try met with Minister of Mines and Energy Djiteng Marsudi. The minister came to report that the Exor I Oil Refinery at Balongan has had to shut down for maintenance. Try orders that the Department of Mines and Energy facilitate repairs so that the refinery can get back on line as quickly as possible.

The President said that the practices for Exor I must not be repeated with Exor II. He asks that all communications between the contractors for Exor II and the government be conducted directly instead of through intermediaries as in the case of Exor I.

The ABRI Seminar on the Renewal Order In Indonesia comes to an end today and was closed by Sumarlin. Though it talked about a broad range of topics that would not have been discussed when Soeharto was still president, the seminar was widely seen as the “coming-out” party of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who in the process of organizing the event became acquainted with all who contributed to the seminar.

18th February 1999:
Minister of Social Affairs Meutia Hatta came out of a meeting with the President. She announced that the President has approved of the formation of a National Committee for the Elderly to be attached to the Department of Social Affairs. Meutia said this represents the government fulfilling the provisions of the Senior Citizens Law passed last August.

19th February 1999:
Minister of Information, Post, and Telecommunications Ginandjar Kartasasmita issues a one week ban on the Far Eastern Economic Review due to their upcoming publication containing “news item that threatens to provoke national division in Indonesia”. He warns that sanctions will be put in place if the magazine is published next week.

21st February 1999:
The President and Edi Sudrajat paid a visit to the ministerial residence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas. The minister was still recovering after his collapse in the United States and was told to take a total bed rest. There was a photo-op with Try, Edi, Ali Alatas, and the latter’s family. But the Minister of Foreign Affairs asked for some private time with the President.

Try came out of the private chat with a grievous expression on his face.

“What was that about?” asked Edi.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs said he could no longer handle the travel and that he has asked to resign”, said Try.

“What did you tell him?” Edi asked looking concerned.

“I told him to rethink and that he has the freedom to do this paperwork from home for as long as he wished”, the President said.

22nd February 1999:
Cable TV Subscribers in Indonesia were treated to a Ginandjar Kartasasmita interview on CNN’s World News where he came under questioning for his decision to ban the FEER for one week. Ginandjar gave a firm but polite answer that this was done so that people in Indonesia are not stirred up.

Indonesians living overseas in Asia were able to get their hands on the banned FEER issue. The FEER featured Try and Tutut on the cover with the Headline: Keeping Score: Soeharto’s Constitutional and Biological Successors Go at it In Indonesia. Inside there was an article outlining the way in which Try and Tutut were “one-upping” another, culminating with Tutut going to King Hussein’s funeral without consulting with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Try and OCDS Sugeng Subroto watched this on television while they were meeting in Jakarta. Sugeng said that Ginandjar is not the most trustworthy person but that he is doing a good job defending Try.

23rd February 1999:
At Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, Try accompanied by Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Cooperatives Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, Governor of South Sulawesi Zainal Basri Palaguna, and Commander of the Sulawesi Regional Military Command Suaidy Marasabessy participated in the beginning of the annual harvest. Using a sickle, Try collected the harvest and waved it for all to see.

Sarwono gave a report to the President that for 1998, agriculture production slowed down with some crops showing negative growth as a result of El Nino. The good news was that production began to enter positive territory again in the final quarter of 1998.

Later on, Try went to visit the nearly 30-year old Tonasa Cement Factory also in South Sulawesi. This time his most prominent companion was Minister of Industry, Research, and Technology Siswono Yudohusodo. The two were faced with the sight of the factory not operating at full capacity. The factory manager said that demand for cement had lessened because the construction sector had fallen to a stand still and that he hadn’t laid off staff but that he had had to cut their shifts. Try praised the factory manager for not laying off staff and told his delegation that this was a reminder that they had not made full economic recovery yet.

24th February 1999:
At Ujung Pandang, Try spent the morning with Commander of ABRI Wiranto and Minister of Defense and Security Wismoyo Arismunandar who had just completed a visit at Ambon. Wismoyo said the situation at Ambon was still quiet tense though the troops sent in are doing well. Wiranto proposed that a Maluku Regional Military Command be formed so that Maluku did not have to rely on the Irian Jaya Regional Military Command for security. Try said he’ll think about it.

The President ended his visit by inaugurating a Provincial Small Business Incubator to provide guidance for gestating small businesses in South Sulawesi. In his address, Minister of Employment and Small Business Oetojo Oesman said that it was the intention of the government to mobilize and facilitate small businesses. In his own address, the President said that in the present economic times, one had to “create” rather than “look” for employment.

25th February 1999:
Governor of Central Java Prabowo Subianto today submitted Central Java’s Draft Budget to the Central Java DPRD. The budget is expected to go into a larger deficit than previous year’s because Prabowo is proposing extensive road and irrigations development to stimulate the Central Javanese economy. Prabowo took a shot at Try by saying that this was the real “stimulus package”.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta the President met with the newly re-elected Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) Aburizal Bakrie. Bakrie pledged his support to Try’s government. The two agreed that during these difficult economic times, bureaucrats should not ask for kickbacks and businesses should not ask for special favors.

26th February 1999:
President Try chaired a meeting attended by Vice President Sumarlin and the entire cabinet. The main presentation in the meeting was conducted by Minister of Economics and National Development Planning Soedradjad Djiwandono. Soedradjad presented the Seventh Five Year Development Plan (Repelita VII) to the cabinet. Soedradjad said that the Repelita VII will seek to bring into reality the President’s vision for the nation which included:

-Industrial sector growth at 10%, Agriculture at 3%
-5% Economic growth per annum
-Life expectancy to be at 71 years old by the end of Repelita VII
-More infrastructure development to be directed to Eastern Indonesia
-9 Year Education Program to be achieved by the end of Repelita VII

The cabinet approved of the Repelita VII. Try also expressed his approval and said that he would like all members of the cabinet to communicate about the Repelita VII in whatever events they are attending.

After the cabinet, it fell to Soedradjad, Ginandjar, and Edi Sudrajat to explain the Repelita VII and began promoting its contents. When asked what is the essence of Repelita VII, Soedradjad replied:

“The essence of Repelita VII is that we are starting to put emphasis on qualitative in addition to quantitative results as well. It’s all well and good to achieve the economic growth targets but how much of that is the contribution of Eastern Indonesia? How much of that is the contribution of small businesses? How much of that economic growth lifting the poor out of poverty? These things are what the government will address in Repelita VII”.

Meanwhile, back in the cabinet room Try was deep in discussion with Harsudiono.

“What the hell’s Prabowo up to, proposing a budget like that?” asked Try.

“He’s picking a fight”, said Harsudiono “All the other governors, even the other ones in deficit, are trying to balance their own budgets but he’s going for a bigger deficit.”

“I don’t like it”, said Try before remembering something “Especially after you told me that he wants more control over policymaking, not just revenue.”

The two sat in silence.

“This is going to become a conversation on how much authority a governor should have instead of just about about how much revenue they should control”, said Try “That’s beyond the scope I’ve set for you.”

“I understand that, Sir, and I know this was going to be tough”, said Harsudiono “But last year the governors of Aceh, Riau, East Kalimantan, and Irian Jaya brought over votes to you at the MPR, all with the hope that you would give them a fair hearing about how much revenue they ought to control. The fact that they’ve been silent for a year and it’s Prabowo who’s trying to pick a fight shows that they’re not hostile to you.

It won’t be seen as weak if you have this conversation about the central government’s fiscal relations with the provinces and how much authority a provincial government can have. It’ll be seen as you giving the provinces a hearing that Soeharto won’t.”

Try thought about it for a second.

“I want you to come up with options that the government can use about both how much revenues the governors can control and how much authority the central government can give them”, ordered Try “I also want you to identify the governors who will side with us. Let’s give them a solution that they’re satisfied with but let’s make sure that we’re going to be satisfied with as well, we’ll be needing friends for that.”

----
The Exor I Refinery is a refinery built by the Soeharto government to specialize in refining oil for the purposes of export. Indeed Exor stands for Export Oriented. The costs of building the refinery had ballooned because a Soeharto son (Sigit) and nephew was involved. Rather embarassingly, this refinery is known for constantly breaking down and needing to be repaired.

The results of the ABRI Seminar will be posted in a separate post.

In the coming months, we'll be exploring this TL's dealings with Regional Autonomy. Soeharto ran a government with a strong central government and with the purse strings controlled from the center.

 

[Derff]

Interesting TL but no updates?

 

[Kennedy4Ever]

Loving this timeline so far, keep it up!

 

[GSD310]

Thank you for the comments. Thank you also to all who have had a look at this. 300 shy of 10,000 views is pretty good for a niche topic.

As always real life does get in the way.

Also I like to step away once in a while when I overload my brain with things that could possibly happen rather than just let things flow.

In any case, the Try Sutrisno/Tutut war/rivalry/conflict will continue. I’ve got a post in the pipeline.

 

[GSD310]

28th February 1999:
In a conference at Cornell University entitled “Post-Soeharto Indonesia”, noted Indonesianist and scholar Benedict Anderson argued that Try Sutrisno is just “Diet Soeharto”. Just like Diet Coke is supposed to just be a healthier version of Coke but is still Coke and is some ways worst than original coke, Try is much the same; supposedly better than Soeharto but cut out of the same cloth as Soeharto and is some ways worst.

1st March 1999:
At a Department of Home Affairs event, Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas found himself crowded by reporters asking about the draft Central Java Budget.

“I think the Central Javanese DPRD should pass a fiscally responsible Central Java Budget, that will be in the best interest of that province”, said Harsudiono “If a Central Javanese Budget with a deficit is passed, as the Minister of Home Affairs, I have the right to veto the budget.”

Chairwoman of Golkar Tutut today handed out donations in Yogyakarta accompanied by Secretary of Golkar ZA Maulani and Treasurer of Golkar Akbar Tanjung. Tutut said that she’s handing out donations to commemorate the 50th Annivesary of the 1st March Offensive against the Dutch led by then Lt. Col. Soeharto in 1949. Tutut said that she wants to keep Soeharto’s memory alive in the minds of Indonesians.

On the Central Javanese Draft Budget situation, Tutut hoped that both the Central and Central Javanese Governments would reach the best solution for the people of Central Java.

2nd March 1999:
Governor of Central Java Prabowo Subianto insisted that he will not withdraw the Draft Budget he proposed to the DPRD because he felt that the Draft Budget would be in the best interest of the Central Javanese people.

In a meeting with Vice President JB Sumarlin, Minister of Finance Mar’ie Muhammad, Minister of Economics and National Development Soedradjad Djiwandono, President Try Sutrisno has been advised that it would not be economically beneficial for Central Java to have a larger budget deficit than in the previous year.

3rd March 1999:
The President had a three-way meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and Minister of Employment and Small Business Oetojo Oesman. The three discussed Malaysia’s decision to put a moratorium on Indonesian workers coming into the country because of Malaysia’s being in a state of economic recession. It was agreed that they will make approaches to Brunei Darussalam to increase their intake of Indonesian workers.

After Oetojo left, Try had afternoon tea with Ali Alatas and after the latter had left, State Secretary Edi Sudrajat walked in.

“He’s not budging”, said Try to Edi “He says it's up to me when I do it, but at the end of the day he wants to resign.”

4th March 1999:
The President today received the participants of the ABRI Leadership meeting. Flanked by Edi Sudrajat and Minister of Defense and Security Wismoyo Arismunandar, Try heard Commander of ABRI Wiranto pledge his support for Repelita VII. In a veiled warning to Prabowo, Wiranto also said that governors should remember the governmental “chain of command”; that governors are accountable to the central government.

The highlight of the event was ABRI Socio-Political Affairs Chief of Staff Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reading of the results of the ABRI Seminar and then officially handing it over to Try.

As the event came to a close, Try found himself chatting with Wiranto, Edi, and Wismoyo.

“Please excuse, Lt. Gen. Yudhoyono, I told him that the State Secretariat would probably have conducted their own review of the seminar”, said Wiranto in a tone that betrayed dislike "He can be overenthusiastic sometimes."

5th March 1999:
Governor of Riau Syarwan Hamid threw in his support behind Prabowo Subianto saying that while provinces should heed the central government, it should also take care of its own people. Syarwan said that regarding the Province of Riau, the province does not have control of Batam and Bintan Islands because these are controlled directly by the central government and that none of the revenues go to the people of Riau. Thus, Syarwan called for the central government to resolve the matter of revenues with the provincial governments.

6th March 1999:
President Try’s morning tea guest this Saturday morning was his old compatriot Alip Pandoyo who now holds the dual position of Chairman of the Central Java DPRD and Chairman of Golkar’s Central Javanese Branch. The President was accompanied by Edi Sudrajat and Harsudiono Hartas during the talk.

“I think what’s preferable here is if you can prevent that budget from being passed”, instructed Try to Alip Pandoyo “So that the Minister of Home Affairs does not have to use his veto and we can argue that this budget was not what the people wanted.”

The real conversation occurred as Edi and Harsudiono escorted Alip to his car.

“Tutut’s forces are really working on Golkar’s Central Javanese Branch”, said Alip “I don’t know how much stroke I’ve got anymore in the province.”

“Right now, let’s get as much votes as possible to block this budget”, said Edi “I’ll get Matori to work on the PPP in Central Java.”

“Thank you, Mr. State Secretary”, said Alip.

There was silence as they walked.

“I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news to the President”, interrupted Alip “But as someone who is closer to the grassroots, I think there’s something bigger going on here.”

“Tell us”, said Harsudiono.

“There are increasing numbers of DPRD members loyal to me and saying that they are being threatened by those loyal to Tutut” said Alip “They say that if they don’t support this proposed Central Javanese budget that they will have no chance at re-election.”

“Not a chance”, said Edi “All Golkar legislative candidates, whether nationally or in the provinces, must get the final approval of the President in his capacity as Chairman of Golkar’s Council of Patrons. Whatever threats Tutut is giving you, she has to sit down with the President and they have to discuss who will be the legislative candidates.”

“My fear is that between now and that meeting, the President would’ve lost his ability to approve who gets to run for office from Golkar and that all the strings will be in Tutut’s hands”, said Alip “What’s happening in the Central Javanese DPRD; what’s happening in the DPR with the Banking Law not long ago, that’s not just DPR members showing their independence; they’re the President’s enemies showing themselves.”

“What do you propose that we do?” asked Harsudiono.

“The President’s supporters need to be protected”, said Alip “All those who are and truly loyal to the President should be protected in an organization within Golkar where they can safely support the President and strategize against the other side.”

“You’re proposing to create a splinter organization within Golkar”, said Edi.

“That’s not as bad as the other side”, countered Alip Pandoyo “One could argue they’ve already created a splinter organization not just within Golkar, but within the government.”

8th March 1999:
The President arrived at Ambon from Jakarta this morning at the head of a delegation which also included:
*Minister of Home Affairs Harsudiono Hartas
*State Secretary Edi Sudrajat
*Commander of ABRI Wiranto
*Chief of BAKIN Ari Sudewo
*Chairman of BP-7 Soegiarto
*Chief of ABRI Intelligence Tyasno Sudarto

And as a special guest on the trip, Chairman of ICMI BJ Habibie.

Try met with Martial Law Administrator Sudarsono Kasdi who reported on recent developments at Ambon. Try listened with approval when Kasdi said that special permits are now required for those wanting to enter or leave Ambon. Sudarsono Kasdi reported that his forces has confiscated weapons, mostly machetes and sharp objects but occasionally firearms has been found.

The President also had the chance to speak to Governor Saleh Latuconsina. The Governor said that he has been cooperating with the central government regarding the martial law in place in Ambon but says that economic recovery in Maluku will be the surest way for order to be restored. Habibie piped in and requested for the governor to consistently give full support to President Try’s government. It was for this reason that Try had brought Habibie along. He wanted Habibie to be there calling for Latuconsina’s support because the latter was an ICMI member.

Try used dinner to discuss the security situation in Ambon with his delegation. He also asked for updates about the situation in Central Sulawesi. The response was given by Tyasno who spoke fluently and masterfully about how things were going at Poso. Ari Sudewo watched on with a frown on his face, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Try.

When the meeting was over, the President asked Edi what was wrong with Ari.

“The Chief of BAKIN is not all too pleased that the Chief of ABRI Intelligence has taken the lead on surveillance in Central Sulawesi and that the latter hasn’t shared intelligence with him on that matter”, said Edi “This is an intelligence turf war in other words.”

9th March 1999:
The President began the day by opening a P4 Training held at Ambon and attended by the city’s community figures. Try called on Ambon to remember and rediscover Pancasila especially since the riots in January were religious-based.

From there, Try boarded the Presidential Airplane to Irian Jaya. Try arrived at Jayapura where he, now joined by Minister of Transportation Soerjadi Soedirja, Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development Sutjipto, and Governor of Irian Jaya Jacob Pattipi, inaugurated the Jayapura-Wamena Road which will link the two cities of Jayapura and Wamena. Try said to all those present that there will be more development in Eastern Indonesia.

At lunch, Try sat with Governor Pattipi who asked him to remember that the Irian Jaya Regional Delegates helped Try win re-election at the MPR the previous year and to “do something about the National Government’s relationship with the Provincial Governments.”

10th March 1999:
Vice President JB Sumarlin, accompanied by Minister of Economics and National Development Soedradjad Djiwandono, Minister of Finance Mar’ie Muhammad, Minister of Industries, Research, and Technology Siswono Yudohusodo, Minister of Energy and Mining Djiteng Marsudi, Minister of Public Works, Urban Development, and Housing Sutjipto, Chairman of BPIS Sintong Panjaitan, State Secretary Edi Sudrajat, and Cabinet Secretary Hayono Isman held a joint press conference after meeting with the President.

The ministers announced the 10th March Policy Package which included the following policies to be implemented over the coming weeks and months:

-Begin to phase out off-budget funds across all government departments and agencies.
-Place a moratorium on the import of luxury cars.
-Lower tariffs on imports of spare parts for bus and other public transports as well as fisherman boats.
-Begin to minimize if not phase out government subsidies to strategic industries. Subsidies to be reduced from fiscal year 2000/2001
-Make the national petroleum supply chain more efficient.
-Establish a regulatory framework for public-private partnership in infrastructure.

11th March 1999:
Chairman of DPR Harmoko presided over a DPR Session which unanimously passed the government’s 1999/2000 Budget.

The market welcomed the 10th March Policy Package and the passing of the budget. The IMF was effusive of the contents of the policy package saying that the policies to be enacted in it were “prudent”.

The Central Java DPRD had set Monday, 15th March 1999 to be the date of the DPRD Session where a vote to pass or not to pass the Central Java Budget will be taken.

12th March 1999:
At Friday prayer in Semarang, Central Java, Commander of the Central Java Regional Military Command Syahrir MS says that he will stand with Governor Prabowo Subianto regarding the Central Java Budget.

That night President Try Sutrisno and First Lady Tuti Setiawati welcomed Vice President JB Sumarlin and Second Lady Yostiana Soediarma to dinner. The dinner was celebratory to celebrate Sumarlin’s one year mark as Vice President. As the two ladies explored the Palace grounds, the men discussed issues.

“In this coming year, at least after we get Repelita VII, I’m going to need you as my eyes and ears regarding the economy, Mr. Vice President”, said Try “We’re doing well, but we can’t be slack.”

“Very well, Sir”, said Sumarlin.

“I’ll be focusing on more on the politics of things, as crummy as that sounds”, continued Try “This situation with the Chairwoman of Golkar…”

“I know, Mr. President”, assured Sumarlin “Your predecessor would not have tolerated an alternative source of power much less have that alternative source of power harass him.”

“I’m not sure how I should handle it”, said Try “Her father protects her even after his death.”

“You have to remember something Mr. President”, began Sumarlin “You are the President now, not President Soeharto. It is you she should fear. You have to strike back at her.”

“That’s what the State Secretary, the Minister of Home Affairs, all my close friends keep telling me”, said Try “But they never tell me how.”

“I don’t presume to tell you how as well, Mr. President”, replied Sumarlin “I assume that you being a general, strategies and tactics are more your forte.”

15th March 1999:
President Try breakfasted with Edi Sudrajat and Harsudiono Hartas. He ordered Harsudiono to call Alip Pandoyo and instruct for the vote on the Central Java Budget not to go ahead. He also instructed Harsudiono to talk to Prabowo and ask the latter what will it take for him to amend his draft budget.

“I can’t take the risk that his budget is going to win the vote and that you’ll have to use your veto”, Try told Harsudiono “If he gets sympathy on his side from the provinces

From Semarang and once the vote on the draft budget was cancelled, Prabowo praised the President and the Minister of Home Affairs for willing to negotiate with him. Harsudiono preferred to present the situation as an exchange of opinions rather than negotiations.

16th March 1999:
Cabinet Secretary Hayono Isman and OCDS Sugeng Subroto held a joint press conference to show a book which will be circulated outlining what had been achieved by the Seventh Development Cabinet in the year since its formation.

The press conference turned awkward when Hayono struggled to explain why Ali Alatas had not been travelling abroad even though official statements suggest that Ali Alatas has made a full recovery.

The President met with Governor of West Kalimantan Aspar Aswin and Commander of the Kalimantan Regional Military Command Zainuri Hasyim. Over the last two months there’s been some horizontal violence in West Kalimantan as well though the provincial government and the military command had coped well with it enough to not require assistance on the level of Maluku. The President nevertheless ordered for 10 companies from the West Java Regional Military Command to reinforce West Kalimantan.

17th March 1999:
Try met with Harsudiono who said that Prabowo said he will back down if the government will hold a conference between the Central Government and Provincial Governments to discuss about a larger share of the revenues and autonomy. Try accepts and tells Harsudiono to prepare a conference within 60 days.

After Harsudiono left, Edi took advantage of the fact that it was just the two of them to talk.

“What’s your game, Mr. President?” asked Edi “You seemed to be against talking with Prabowo a few weeks ago because you thought that he would try to take over the dialogue between the central and provincial governments and expand the scope from revenues to regional autonomy but now you seem quite calm.”

“It was a conversation that the central government needed to have with the provincial governments”, said Try “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“And…” prodded Edi not satisfied with the answer.

“Two weeks until the Repelita VII gets under way”, said Try “I’m not about to waste my time focusing on whether or not the Central Javanese Budget gets passed.”

“And…” prodded Edi again.

“I want to lull the other side into a false sense of security”, said Try “You want to send in the next appointment?”

The next appointment was a motley crew of Head of Bulog I Gede Awet Sara, Minister of Legal Affairs Albert Hasibuan, and Attorney General Soedjono C. Atmonegoro.

Try told I Gede Awet Sara to explain to Hasibuan and Soedjono the report he wanted to give to the President. I Gede Awet Sara proceeded to talk about a matter of interest he wanted to chase up on in Bulog. When he was finished, Hasibuan and Soedjono C. Atmonegoro were astonished.

“Can a case be established and can that person be prosecuted for it, Mr. Attorney General?” asked Try.

“It can”, said Soedjono “Especially if it can be proven that the state has suffered losses from it.”

“We will need your backing, though Mr. President”, said Hasibuan “We’re talking about taking one of President Soeharto’s children to court, here.”

“You have it”, said Try “Make sure you give me written updates.”

----
Lots of things happening, culminating with Try thinking about taking one of the Soeharto children to court. Which one will it be? Well, it happened in OTL as well and it is Bulog-related, let's put it that way. This will be this TL's version of that legal case.

 

[SkylineDreamer]

Looking forward, as fellow Indonesians, a more updates of Try Sutrisno.

Kapan pemilu selanjutnya? Saya mau lihat oposisi Try Sutrisno seperti BJ Habiebie bahkan Abdurrahman Wahid untuk unjuk gigi
When the next election happened? I want to see BJ Habiebie and Abdurrahman Wahid oppose Try Sutrisno and show power.

Liniwaktunya sangat baik, pertahankan!
TTL is good, keep it up!

PS: I use English translations for others

 

[Gajah_Nusantara]

Apakah akan ada pemilu langsung? Ama nanti apa ada Bu Megawati ga?

Using Indonesian (as a Indonesian)

 

[SkylineDreamer]

Sepe

Apakah akan ada pemilu langsung? Ama nanti apa ada Bu Megawati ga?

Using Indonesian (as a Indonesian)

Sepertinya akan tetap menggunakan pemilu sistem OrBa. Bu Mega mungkin akan melawan Golkar yang sudah terpecah belah.

It seems the Orba's election system shall remained in use. But Mrs. Mega probably opposes Golkar, the already split party.

 

[Gajah_Nusantara]

Sepe

Sepertinya akan tetap menggunakan pemilu sistem OrBa. Bu Mega mungkin akan melawan Golkar yang sudah terpecah belah.

It seems the Orba's election system shall remained in use. But Mrs. Mega probably opposes Golkar, the already split party.

Terima kasih atas bantuannya

Thanks!

 

[GSD310]

Makasih banget @SkylineDreamer dan @President Roosevelt buat komentarnya. Biar praktis, gue jawab pake bahasa Inggris.

-Regarding Habibie: At present he is a non-aligned in the conflict between Try and Tutut. He's got allies on Try's side and Tutut's side but has himself not committed to either side. Try's been trying to court Habibie by retaining his programs but to no avail.

-Megawati has a complex relationship with Try and his government. OTL Ari Sudewo and Hendropriyono sympathized with her and did not get in her way when she nominated for the Chairwomanship of PDI in 1993. Now those two are prominent members in the ITTL Government. Not to mention that Try has not harassed Megawati and her supporters the way Soeharto had. It's not a clear cut relationship where Megawati is in opposition to Try.

-Regarding election system: Yes, for the moment it will be a New Order election system. I think one of the consequence of Try's better handling of the economy is that there hasn't been unrest, there hasn't been riots, and it's somewhat moderated the demands for political change. On the one hand there's still ABRI's dual function and Freedom of the Press is still not guaranteed (Far Eastern Economic Review got banned for a week) but on the other hand Soeharto's gone and those left behind crossed a political line themselves by putting forward 4 presidential candidates. Probably goes to show how powerful Soeharto was that him being gone changes things. Try's taken a middle of the road stance. The status quo won't do, but he's not going to change everything either.