Memories Of The 1998 Reform: Suharto Tumbang, Tapol Pun Berparty

Student demonstrations ahead of the 1998 Reformation with the main demands of deploying President Suharto. (BBC/Erik Prasetya)

JAKARTA - Suharto and New Order were once common enemies of all Indonesian people. The attitude of a corrupt and authoritarian government is behind it. Ulam's beloved pinnacle arrived. The 1998 Economic Crisis exposed the depravity of the New Order. The students are no longer afraid to speak up.

They moved to lower Suharto and succeeded. The incident was greeted with joy. Political Prisoners (Tapol) who are in the Cipinang Penitentiary (LP) also celebrated the collapse of the New Order. His excitement seemed to compete with the atmosphere of Eid al-Adha.

Suharto's leadership was once hailed as a savior of the Indonesian economy. The strategy of the pros and blocks of the west brought Indonesia's economy to grow. Development is here everywhere. Geliat brought Suharto nicknamed the father of development.

Problems arise. The New Order government is starting to see his ulcers. Suharto's power for too long began to bring problems. Corruption that was rampant to authoritarian leadership --anti criticism -- broke things up.

Soeharto's chronology began to undermine on national strategic projects. Instead of the decision bringing prosperity, in fact the people are the most organized. Development sometimes raises big problems: injustice.

Social gaps between those who are rich and poor are too far away. Criticism arose. Criticism was launched through many media. In fact, the mass media that began to critically monitor the New Order. The voices of criticism made the government angry.

Anyone who is 'insulted' will be punished. For the mass media, it becomes a mainstay. For individuals, prison and exile from the political stage will be rewarded. The injustice produced by the New Order sparked great resistance.

Suharto and New Order seemed to be common enemies. The momentum of the resistance also arrived when the 1997-1998 economic crisis hit Indonesia. Everything was affected by the economic crisis. The lives of the Indonesian people are becoming increasingly difficult.

The impact is everywhere. New Order began to be considered incompetent in dealing with the state. The people and students also unite to take to the streets to hold demonstrations from the beginning of 1998. The demonstrations carried out are getting bigger.

The pressure from demonstrations made many people close to Suharto ask him to resign. That said, the Cendana Family gave such advice. The result was brilliant. The repressive regime of the New Order surrendered. Suharto was successfully relaxed in May 1998.

According to Suharto's son, Siti Hardijanti Rukmana (Tutut), long before the incident, Harmoko's request for Suharto to resign, Suharto's family had asked Suharto to resign as president.

The family reasoned that they had served the country and the nation for a long time, so it was time to rest with their children and grandchildren. Regarding Tutut's request, has it ever been submitted to the Golkar DPP? According to Harmoko, as far as he knows, never, even though Tutut himself is a member of the FKP and the Golkar DPP," explained Golkar politician Akbar Tandjung in the book The Golkar Way (2007).

The fall of Suharto was greeted with great fanfare. Political prisoners who are 'activists to students' are also late and touched. They are happy because Suharto, who is strong in fact, can be relaxed.

This condition can be seen in Cipinang Prison. The police officers who were vocal in throwing criticism at Suharto, such as the Democratic People's Party Activist (PRD), Budiman Sudjatmiko, greeted him cheerfully. The head of Cipinang Prison also allowed the police to chat with each other on Suharto's birthday day.

The tapol congratulate each other to their comrades in arms. In fact, the head of the LP and guards also congratulated the police officers on the struggle that was finally achieved. As a result, all the police stations were collected in one block to party.

They did not run out of ways to party. The police also donated their pet ducks to be slaughtered and cooked. Then, the duck food was divided and a meal together took place. The incident was described by Budiman as lively as Eid al-Adha.

If Eid al-Adha is commemorated to commemorate the historic moment when Prophet Ibrahim is ready to sacrifice his son Ismail on the orders of Allah. So that day was commemorated in memory of the struggles and sacrifices of the police officers against the power of Suharto and the New Order.

We then distributed the duck meat to the other prisoners. The atmosphere is like Eid al-Adha. The party continued into the afternoon.

"In the evening the atmosphere was quieter. The euphoria during the day was settled. We were much clearer for reflection after all the smoke and dust of happiness was settled," said Budiman Sudjatmiko in the book Children's Revolution: volume 2(2013).