Suharto Inaugurated As President Of The Republic Of Indonesia In History Today, 27 March 1968

Suharto when he was sworn in as President of Indonesia, which became a historical record on 27 March 1968. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - History today, 54 years ago, 27 March 1968, Suharto was officially sworn in as President of Indonesia to replace Soekarno who had stepped down. The election of The Smiling General was foreseen. It was all thanks to Suharto being able to play his role in the September 30th Movement (G30S) until the issuance of the March Eleven Order (Supersemar). This exercise gave Suharto the freedom to move freely to eradicate Bung Karno loyalists. That's what made Suharto's path smooth as president of the Republic of Indonesia.

Suharto's big role in crushing people affiliated with the G30S was enormous. He also won the trust of all Indonesian people as a figure who brought a cool breeze to Indonesia. Students also liked Suharto.

Therefore, Suharto was entrusted by Bung Karno to maintain security from the prolonged student action and the presence of the coup issue. Instead of securing, Suharto went further. He used Supersemar to crush all forms of Bung Karno loyalists. Everyone wants to be arrested. Without exception.

For Suharto, Supersemar was a vehicle for gaining power. That view is correct. Because after Supersemar was signed by Bung Karno, his life path changed. Such was Bung Karno's political career. Bung Karno's movements were restricted. People who were pro of Bung Karno also started to drift away.

President Sorharto and Mrs. Tien Suharto. (Wikimedia Commons)

The fear was justified. They were afraid that Suharto would end their political career which was considered to be siding with Bung Karno. People also called Suharto's tactics as a coup d'etat.

“It is very clear that Suharto used Supersemar, which is actually an order from the President (executive order) as a transfer of authority. It was as if Bung Karno had handed over all of his power to Suharto so that Suharto could do whatever he could to deal with security and order issues as if the country was in a state of war."

"Seen that way, it appears that what is taking place is a coup, even though the coup is being carried out slowly, or gradually, or as something that is crawling," said FX Baskara Tulus Wardaya in his book Dismantling Supersemar: From CIA to Coup Crawling Against Bung Karno (2009).

Since then Soekarno loyalists were hunted down. They were arrested. There are also those who are considered communists as well. This action became even more evident when 15 Indonesian ministers accused of being Bung Besar loyalists were arrested. This tactic made Suharto's move to become president smooth.

One of President Soeharto's most famous poses when attending the Asia Pacific Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Vancouver, Canada on October 25, 1997. (ANTARA)

In the end, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) decided Suharto as Indonesia's new number one person on March 26, 1966. The day after, or March 27, 1968, Suharto was officially inaugurated by the MPR as president of the Republic of Indonesia, replacing Bung Karno. The incident became an important historical record today.

“Before the inauguration ceremony took place a number of riots arose. M. Jusuf (Chairman of the MPR) had to go back and forth with Suharto and AH Nasution to sort out the details of the problem, from the principles to the protocol."

“Finally, the inauguration ceremony can be carried out. Nasution wore a short sleeved shirt, General Socharto was in full civilian clothes plus a cap. So, officially. Suharto became president, replacing Bung Karno who had been ousted," concluded Femi Adi Soempeno in the book They Betrayed Me: Attitudes of Suharto's Golden Children at the End of the New Order (2008).