6 - “Soeharto is a Closed Book”

Summary

During his time in Wuryantoro and Wonogiri, Soeharto was exposed more fully to a Javanese philosophy of life. Many of the principles of that philosophy have been distilled into a set of aphorisms; and in later life, Soeharto was to make much of these sayings, which, in his view, embodied eternal truths, although some of the less central points in the canon might be thought so nebulous and so generalized as to be all but meaningless.

One favourite Soeharto aphorism provides guidance on how a person should behave as a member of society. It can be summarized as the “three don’ts”, all of them close in meaning: don't be easily surprised or shocked by anything, but remain calm; don't be overwhelmed by anything or any person; don't act haphazardly (ojo kagetan, ojo gumunan, ojo gugupan). A fourth “don’t” that commended itself to him, and which is a moral command, not behavioural advice, is ojo dumeh, which means “be aware of yourself, who you are.” For example, “Don’t, just because you get promoted, start being arrogant” and “Don’t, just because you are handsome, exploit women.” As Soeharto saw it, these four points made it clear that if one wanted to be successful in society, it was necessary to develop self-awareness and self-confidence. By knowing oneself and being self-assured, one would not be thrown by unexpected developments, nor would one become overbearing and arrogant. These prescriptions, he wrote, “became the guiding principles of life which gave me strength to face problems which otherwise might have shaken me.” The value of this guidance lay, he believed, in its emphasis on instilling the attitudes of patience, fortitude and acceptance of fate, based on self-confidence.

As an army officer and as President, Soeharto seemed to personify a number of these attributes, achieving a state of measured calm and disciplined self-control. But as he got older, and more convinced that he was indispensable, he seemed less able and less willing to cloak a fundamentally arrogant and overbearing nature. In the late eighties, Soeharto invited a large group of people, including all his cabinet ministers and fourteen former student leaders, to the Merdeka Palace to see the film Jakarta ‘66, which focused on the tumultuous events surrounding his rise to power. Afterwards he addressed those present.