BETWEEN SOEHARTO, GUS DUR & NO REGRETS : A TRIO OF VERY DIFFERENT BOOKS
A trio of very different books have been released in Jakarta this year a rare biography of former president Suharto, an authorized biography of the more recent former president Abdurahman Wahid and ripping yarn called NO Regrets by Wahid's former spokesman Wimar Witoelar.
Professor R E Elson from Brisbane's Griffith University notes in his preface to Suharto, apolitical biography ( Cambridge University Press $ 448 ) that Indonesians have an ambivalent attitude to their own history, often not wanting to know. In the case of Suharto, it seems the deep wounds inflicted by his rule are so fresh that many are unwilling to confront the facts.
Initial reactions from Indonesians Academics to Elson's work appear to suggest this is true. Elson is accused of "devending " Suharto insteat of "understanding" him and local media has puzzled over Elson's view that Suharto din not plan the alleged coup attempt of September 30, 1965, which swept him to power, and that he has no hidden wealth in his own name.
Elson is an accademic whom does not live in Indonesia. Unsurprisingly, he was never granted an interview with the man himself - although he did manage to gain entry to the Suharto family home. He shows a strong focus on documentation, difficult approach to maintain in the nuances world of personal politics in Indonesia.
But this is the true benefits of his biography. Surprising though it may seem, ther simply has been not solid, serious, objective biography of Suharto before Elson dared to produce this devinitive, balanced to me. other are coming, but this is a vital an conprehensive reference work which judging by local critiques, is considerably ahead of it's time.
The plodding, caugtious, apportunist farmer's boy we meet in Elson's pages in not lurid, vicious or greedy enough to keep some readers happy, not will some even tolerate the notion of neutrality in the some sentence ask Suharto.
Elson's painstaking attempts to keep the examination of his subject clean of political bias are not found in the other two books out this year shrugged off that setback and now admits on the title page this is an "autorised" biography.
Professor R E Elson from Brisbane's Griffith University notes in his preface to Suharto, apolitical biography ( Cambridge University Press $ 448 ) that Indonesians have an ambivalent attitude to their own history, often not wanting to know. In the case of Suharto, it seems the deep wounds inflicted by his rule are so fresh that many are unwilling to confront the facts.
Initial reactions from Indonesians Academics to Elson's work appear to suggest this is true. Elson is accused of "devending " Suharto insteat of "understanding" him and local media has puzzled over Elson's view that Suharto din not plan the alleged coup attempt of September 30, 1965, which swept him to power, and that he has no hidden wealth in his own name.
Elson is an accademic whom does not live in Indonesia. Unsurprisingly, he was never granted an interview with the man himself - although he did manage to gain entry to the Suharto family home. He shows a strong focus on documentation, difficult approach to maintain in the nuances world of personal politics in Indonesia.
But this is the true benefits of his biography. Surprising though it may seem, ther simply has been not solid, serious, objective biography of Suharto before Elson dared to produce this devinitive, balanced to me. other are coming, but this is a vital an conprehensive reference work which judging by local critiques, is considerably ahead of it's time.
The plodding, caugtious, apportunist farmer's boy we meet in Elson's pages in not lurid, vicious or greedy enough to keep some readers happy, not will some even tolerate the notion of neutrality in the some sentence ask Suharto.
Elson's painstaking attempts to keep the examination of his subject clean of political bias are not found in the other two books out this year shrugged off that setback and now admits on the title page this is an "autorised" biography.
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