Reviled by many as symbols of kleptocratic misrule, the children of Indonesia’s late dictator Suharto are staging a political comeback after more than a decade in the wilderness.
Suharto’s son Hutomo Mandala Putra, popularly known as Tommy, and daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, alias Tutut, have thrown their hats into the ring as rivals to head the once-dominant Golkar Party.
Tommy, who is also vying to become Indonesia’s president, according to aides, in particular faces an uphill battle to revive his fortunes. He was released from prison in 2006 after serving four years of a 15-year term for ordering the murder of a Supreme Court judge who had convicted him of corruption.
A flamboyant playboy whose rumored dalliances with young starlets are a tabloid staple, Tommy, 47, continues to face down corruption cases stemming from his time as favored son in the crony capitalism of Suharto’s 32-year rule.
Officially launching his candidacy for the Golkar chairmanship on Thursday, Tommy struck a populist tone against Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was re-elected to a second five-year term earlier this year by a landslide. Tommy promised free education and healthcare.
“As for my businesses, there are already professionals who take care of them and I will just monitor it from behind,” Tommy said, adding: “These businesses also create job opportunities for a lot of Indonesians.”
Tutut, a 60-year-old former minister in Suharto’s Cabinet with businesses ranging from toll roads to television, has made a more restrained bid for the Golkar chairmanship, in line with the lower profile she has assumed since her father’s fall in 1998. While both siblings have pots of cash to fund their campaigns ahead of Golkar’s grand meeting next month, political observers say they face one major hurdle: plenty of Indonesians just do not like them.
Suharto, who died aged 86, is remembered fondly by many Indonesians as a strong leader who oversaw growth and stability, despite rights abuses and the alleged theft of billions of dollars.
His children, on the other hand, are seen as having few of their father’s saving graces, Golkar executive Indra Piliang said.
“People know Suharto fell from grace because of his children,” he said.
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