Well, Soeharto's kids have decided that they will make, and they have already made, an apology for any mistakes or deficiencies that their father may have had or made. I presume that this apology will also cover all of Soeharto's excesses as well, particularly his part in the misappropriation, some might say theft, of an alleged USD 35 billion from the State coffers and therefore from the good citizens of Indonesia...
Rather than apologizing for and on behalf of their father it is high time they started making these apologies on behalf of themselves. The Soeharto kids each and every one of them became fabulously wealthy under the dictatorial rule of their father...much of this wealth may have disapated with the financial and economic implosion that was the Indonesian economy in 1997 / 1998 but all the same they all remain wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of most Indonesians.
But it is going to be fun to watch as the recriminations and debate unfolds as to how history should recall the legacy of Soeharto -- striking a balance between spectacular economic growth over a sustained period of 30 years and the obvious excesses in the abuse of basic human rights is going to be a tough one...
Many people are giving Soeharto the credit for sustained economic growth but no one seems to be discussing that much of this growth was built on unserviceable public and private debt, which culminated in the financial implosion that Indonesia still reels from today some 10 years later...
I wonder how harsh history will be?
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