'Bu Tien' Siti Hartinah Jealous Of Suharto Meets Soekarno's Young Wife Ratna Sari Dewi At The Golf Course

Suharto and Mrs. Tien (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Soekarno-Soeharto relations are not harmonious. The September 30th Movement (G30S) to the March Eleventh Order (Supersemar) became the estuary. However, Suharto had good intentions to restore relations with Bung Karno through the intermediary of his young wife, Ratna Sari Dewi. The two met on the golf course in Rawamangun. But the meeting invites trouble. Suharto's wife, Siti Hartinah (Mrs. Tien) was burned with jealousy.

Soekarno's position as the number one person in Indonesia became increasingly shaky after the G30S incident. This condition is exacerbated by the declining Indonesian economy. It was also because the lifestyle of Bung Karno's wives was too luxurious. The sympathy of the Indonesian people for Soekarno decreased. In the midst of the chaos, the students began to look at Suharto's figure.

For the students of class 66, Suharto was like an extension of the people's hand to the government. Moreover, Suharto was considered responsive by students when the G30S threatened the life of the nation. Different students, different Soekarno. Bung Karno did not like Suharto's actions. The less harmonious relationship between the two was revealed by Bung Karno's aide, Bambang Widjanarko

At the time of the G30S incident, Bambang understood very well that Bung Karno did not really like Suharto, who had just taken over the leadership of the Indonesian Army, who was left by General Ahmad Yani on October 1, 1965. Bambang didn't even want to mention Soekarno's name when he spoke to Bung Karno. Fear that the Son of the Dawn was furious.

“I deliberately didn't mention Pak Harto's name at that time. This is a psychological matter. I was well acquainted with Bung Karno's sometimes stubborn nature. It's the same with Pak Harto's stubborn heart when he defends a principle he thinks is right. Bung Karno at that time was angry with Pak Harto for not allowing Pak Umar and Pak Pranoto to see Bung Karno, any suggestions from Pak Harto would definitely not be accepted by Bung Karno."

Soekarno and Suharto (Source: Indonesian National Archives)

“On the other hand, Bung Karno knows very well that I am a trooper who has a lot of experience in tactical military operations. I hope that by describing the tactical situation on the ground, Bung Karno will listen to my suggestions. And the most important thing for us at that time was the release of Bung Karno from Halim,” explained Bambang Widjanarko in the book Sewindu Near Bung Karno (1988).

After that, Bung Karno invited Suharto and Major General Pranoto Reksosamodra to the Bogor Palace on October 2, 1965. On that occasion, Suharto was called "koppig" (stubborn) by Soekarno. The reason is because Suharto prevented Pranoto and other army generals from going to the Halim Perdanakusma area to meet the president yesterday.

Suharto was quite confident. He admitted that he took the initiative himself to fill the vacancy in the army leadership. Soekarno was also even more angry with Suharto for deploying troops from the Army Para Command Regiment (RPKAD) to attack the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base while the president was there. In order not to drag on, Bung Karno relented. He divided the duties between Pranoto and Suharto.

"The decision of the meeting: the President/Pangti decided that the leadership of the Army was directly held by the Pangti, while Major General Suharto was ordered to carry out military operations duties, then I was assigned as the caretaker of the Menpangad in daily affairs," wrote Pranoto Reksosamodra in the Memoirs of Major General Raden Pranoto Reksosamodra (2002).

Tien's mother is jealous

Suharto and Ibu Tien (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Relations between Soekarno and Suharto grew tenuous when Supersemar came out in 1966. Suharto's friend Bob Hasan seemed concerned about the relationship between the two national figures. Bob Hasan then had an idea to reconcile the two. He tried to invite Bung Karno's youngest wife, Ratna Sari Dewi, to play golf in Rawamangun.

However, at the same time, Bob Hasan also invited Suharto to play golf. It is known that Bob Hasan's intentions were good, namely to restore good relations between Suharto and Bung Karno, he said. Incidentally the medium is Ratna Sari Dewi. The two finally met on the golf course on March 20, 1966.

However, the mission did not go smoothly. The reason is because Ratna Sari Dewi is also stubborn. Because of this, common ground is hard to come by. According to the Japanese historian, Aiko kurawa, Ratna Sari Dewi's strengths are not only in her beauty, but also in her courage. “At that time Mother Goddess was a very brave person. Not only beautiful but brave.” Aiko Kurawa's story.

"Now I want to tell you a little about the mother goddess Soekarno. I happened to have an interview with him. Maybe 15 times. Count often. Mother Dewi once asked me to write her autobiography. So Ibu Dewi asked me to interview her. There he revealed many secrets as well. So most of my writings (about the events of 1965) come from the mother goddess.” Says Aiko Kurawa in a Public Lecture at Ganesha University of Education on September 7, 2017.

Even so, Suharto gave Dewi three options regarding the fate of her husband. First, go abroad to rest. Second, stay as president for a month. Third, resign completely. Suharto suggested that Dewi choose the first option and suggested Japan or Mecca as a resting place. Ratna Sari Dewi considered the granting of the option a sign that Sukarno in Suharto's eyes had lost.

Ratna Sari Dewi (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The problem continued. The meeting between Suharto and Ratna Sari Dewi reached Ibu Tien's ears. As a woman, Tien's mother immediately burned with jealousy. Moreover, Ratna Sari Dewi is still young and has extraordinary beauty. As a result, Ibu Tien silenced Suharto for days. Suharto's younger brother, Probosutedjo, couldn't stand Suharto.

Finally, Probosutedjo went to Bob Hasan and told him that his idea was a disaster for the Suharto family. Because of that, it was Probosutedjo where he also intervened to calm Suharto's wife, whom he often called Mbakyu.

“At home, I immediately met Mbakyu Harto and tried to explain Bob Hasan's good intentions in bringing Mas Harto and Dewi together. Mbakyu Harto finally understands and wants to talk to her husband again,"

“Thus, month after month went by with the relationship between Mas Harto and Bung Karno which seemed to be 'infected.' After all, the emotional rallies finally broke into an open statement. In a second meeting at the State Palace in February 1966, Mas Harto again pursued Bung Karno's assertiveness about the PKI. And again, it didn't bring any results,” concluded Probosutedjo as written by Alberthiene Endah in the book Saya and Mas Harto (2013).

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