US support on Suharto era

Almost at the same event with the death of former Indonesian President Soeharto, another fact of how US government has been supportive to the neglecting of Human Rights and Democracy in Indonesia revealed also the bond of Soeharto with US.

A non governmental organization declared the support given by US government in the past to him and one of them is abiding the Democracy and Human Rights. Among thousand pages report and files of relationship between Indonesia and US government, not a single document indicate the empowering the US influence to suppress Soeharto regime to respect Human Rights and Democratization as reported by Brad Simpson member of US national security archives board.

That independent (non governmental) organization based in George Washington University releasing that confidential classified document based of the freedom of information law. Further more, Simpson whose the chief of US, Indonesia and East Timor archive section says the only interfere of Washington to Indonesian policy was on 1998 when Indonesia under very bad economic crisis, that was the US president Bill Clinton dozen times contacting Soeharto to apply tight and strict adjustment policy adjusted to the program designed by IMF. Soeharto obey the request without any questions. “My opinion this is some kind of pressure can be done by US government when they see the problem disadvantage their agenda, but this are conducted through International monetary prganization not Human Rights organization or any pro Indonesian democracy organization.” Simpson said.

The archive also consist transcript of meetings between Soeharto and Richard Nixon, Gerald ford, Ronal Reagan and Henry Kissinger.

The documents show US perception of the early Soeharto leadership period including West Papua struggle 1969, East Timor colonization 1975 and Mysterious killing 1983 – 1984. US has been a loyal alliance for Soeharto at the same time become important donor in the term of Financial, armaments and diplomatic as the ‘gift’ to Soeharto attempt to wipe out Communism from Indonesia.

The first visit of Soeharto to US is dated on May 1970, where mass corruption and bridling many political parties. At the meeting token place in White House, Nixon complemented Indonesia as the world biggest democracy country “There is no issue between US and Indonesia, we have a very good relationship” Kissinger wrote to Nixon. In another meeting 5 years after in the same place with President Ford, Soeharto asking Ford opinion of decolonization East Timor from Portuguese and determine that the only way best is to integrate East Timor into Indonesia. According to the document, Ford didn’t say a word.

Neglecting the issue of Human Rights in Indonesia by US Government also recorded when Soeharto meets Reagan in October 1982. There was not one human rights issue become a subject on that meeting even when the issue of East Timor or mysterious killing already come up to the surface. Vice president George H. Bush meets Soeharto in Jakarta on but the agenda of the meeting was the relationship of US, Soviet Union and Tiongkok, as a matter of fact there are documents in the US embassy in Jakarta reported the finding about 4000 people in Indonesia has been executed to death without trial. is this some sort of ' hypocrisy' policy of US Gov?