| |
JAKARTA: While relatives and dignitaries paid their last respects to former president Suharto, ordinary Indonesians gathered on the streets outside his home to mourn the passing of a man who helped shape the nation.
Troops patrolled the street outside as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his deputy Jusuf Kalla and their wives arrived with a group of ministers in a convoy of around 25 cars and buses.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Suharto's body had been driven to his home from the hospital where he died, amid chaotic scenes with photographers clinging on to the ambulance trying to get a picture of his corpse.
President Yudhoyono stayed at the house in Jakarta's leafy Menteng neighbourhood for about 25 minutes and left without comment.
Security was tight as soldiers and police appeared to outnumber a swelling crowd of hundreds of ordinary people who arrived in a steadily growing stream following news of the former president's death.
Troops from the elite Kopassus unit formed a tightly packed wall of red berets and fatigues along the street, while well-dressed mourners moved towards the house as Suharto admirers from among the urban poor, who arrived in faded clothes and cheap rubber sandals, looked on from the footpaths.
"I came especially to pay my respects, with my daughter and my wife," said
Suntoro, 33. He said that even though he would not be allowed to enter the home and see Mr Suharto's body, "we will pray for him, from here."
"I think he provided a great service, the economy during his time was much
better than now," Suntoro said.
Suparto Soejatmo, who said he was a friend linked to the family through a shared passion for car racing, was another solemn arrival at the barricades. "I've lost the most important person in Indonesia. The most important leader, he did a lot for us," Soejatmo said.
"I cannot express in words my loss," he said.
Soejatmo, whose company Indo Techno Mandiri builds competition cars, said he had met "Pak Harto" in 1978 through his business dealings with several members of the Suharto clan. "He will be remembered for a long time, for ever," Soejatmo said.
Those sentiments were echoed by Haji Toha, 70, who came all the way from Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port area and stood beside his veiled wife outside the
house.
"I am an admirer of Pak Harto," he told AFP. "Times were much better during Suharto's time, the economy was good, religious life was good."
Although Mr Suharto stepped down amid mass protests during the economic crisis in 1998, many Indonesians tend to remember his rule as a period of sustained
economic growth when food, education and healthcare were more affordable.
However some believe Indonesians would have a mixed reaction to his death. "It's really sad for some people, but maybe, really happy for others," said Wulan Aprilianti, a Jakarta local.
Aprilianti said that she, like many Indonesians, felt that while the ex-president deserved respect, his family should be held accountable for the corruption of his rule. AFP/sf
|
