Indonesia's new government pledged to the people that it would fight corruption, and as a start was made Suharto and his cronies immediately came under the pale of suspicion. His former Trade and Industry Minister, a tycoon was detained on charges of alleged acts of corruption, and Suharto was summoned by the court on charges which included misuse of funds belonging to several charities, and channeling of billions of dollars to insolvent banks.

Taking a leaf from out of Pinochet's, book, Suharto's lawyers claimed Suharto as medically incapable, and mentally unfit to face questioning by the court. Suharto failed to show up last month also, on the same claim of being too ill. " a cognitive disorder, in the form of a deficit of verbal expression", according to his lawyers. At the same time however, Suharto found himself able to attend his granddaughter's wedding and reportededly looked healthy, walked unaided, and was seen chatting with guests and the government doctors who a few months ago had found him fit.

THE 1966 COUP

In the late sixties Suharto had overthrown President Sukarno and established a regime which in its barbarism and brutality could compare only to Pinochet's. He carried out the clean-up job which his mentors, imperialist US and the CIA, wanted him to do. In the background of the Vietnamese and anti-colonial struggles against the British, French and Portuguese, Suharto's 'clean-up' operation cost the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) close to half a million lives, with another half a million detained for long years without trial. Thus the Indonesian generals eliminated the 'threat of democracy' by a staggering mass slaughter and destruction of a political party. And on the dead bodies of Indonesian patriots and democrats one of the early versions of liberalisation was built and the first of the Asian Tigers myth was born, export-oriented and fast-growing.

The Indonesian economy was touted all over the world as a new model which in fact meant that all that the previous government had done in Indonesia, in the economic sphere, notably the nationalisation of the Dutch companies, and all the political gains of the strong anti-colonial and democratic movement developed in the decades of 1945-1965, Bandung and NAM, were overturned. Suharto and his generals became the henchmen of American imperialism, and from the sweat shops of Indonesia where women, children and men toiled without any social security, without any union rights, the wealth for the imperialists and the crony Indonesian elite was created

INVASION OF EAST TIMOR

Not confining himself to Indonesia alone, Suharto and his generals invaded East Timor, one of the outposts of the Portuguese empire, in 1975, at a time when the national liberation movements in the Portuguese colonies were at their zenith - Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor - and US imperialism was firmly supporting the fascist governments of Salazar and Cartano in Portugal. Acting as the henchman of imperialism, his forces were responsible for killing 200,000 East Timorese, about one-third of the total population. One of Suharto's generals boasted: "When you clean the field, don't you kill all the snakes, the small and large alike". Such was the scale of violence.

The aggression continued, UN resolutions notwithstanding. In these circumstances and in face of the decolonisation process of Portugal, in close cooperation with PAIGC, FRELIMO, MPLA, FRETILIN was born and declared for independence.

The Americans were interested in East Timor for its deep water passage for their nuclear submarines; the Australians for the oil in Timor, and the multinationals for the populous country with an industrious population and raw materials for their exploitation. Suharto and his generals excelled themselves in their role. FRETILIN continued to struggle for the independence of East Timor despite heavy odds, and their leader Xanana Gusmao, was arrested in 1992 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

ASIAN TIGER MYTH EXPLODES

Two years ago, in 1998, the Indonesian economy crashed and the people, faced with extreme crisis, took to the path of struggle. Unsure of himself despite his army, Suharto made way for his Vice-President. Elections were held and Wahid, a moderate Muslim cleric, took over as President. The people of East Timor in a UN-supervised referendum opted to become independent, and with this, one of the oldest outposts of Portuguese colonial empire became free, but the ravages of the Indonesian military contined, and today are subject to an enquiry.

Despite the devastation and heavy legacy to be overcome, FRETILIN, the organisation that had fought for Timorese independence, is today preparing to face the challenge of building a country ravaged by colonialism and dictatorship. To restore confidence to people who had fled terror and the armed gangs of fanatics, is a big task. But having the support of the majority of the Timorese population, the Congress of the FRETILIN in May, will deliberate on the course of action to be followed. Meanwhile, Ramos Horta, one of their important leaders, has called upon the East Timorese who fled, to return home and asked President Wahid to keep the armed forces in check.

The task will not be an easy one. The crisis of the last two years in particular, is the result of the rule of the US- dominated institutions - the World Bank, IMF and the WTO. With an unemployment of 36 million, of whom 80 percent are women, Ms. Ditasari, a leader of the newly emerging Indonesian independent labour movement, speaking on International Women's Day at Chicago, while squarely blaming imperialism for the state of affairs in her country, was, however, optimistic about future when she asserted: "We have survived repression, torture, prison, but we live; some of my comrades have been kidnapped, some of them may be dead. But we are very optimistic about the future."

TURNING POINT

No doubt, Indonesia is at a turning point in her history and the tasks which the government of President Wahid faces are enormous. Full restoration of democracy and a check on the army are among the priorities. President Wahid has declared that "the ban on the Communists violated human rights and was not consistent with democracy". Banned in 1966 as part of the purge of Leftists, by the army and conservative moslems, the Indonesian President is reported to be preparing to lift the ban and begin a judicial enquiry into the killing of thousands of alleged Communists in the 1960s when Suharto took over.