Murdoch’s Australian newspaper may continue to praise the recently deceased Indonesian dictator Soeharto – after all, human rights abuses against Communists and other “undesirables” is a small price to pay for economic development – so it’s worth remembering the legacy of another Western-favoured autocrat, Chile’s General Pinochet: In dealing with the general’s legacy, it’s necessary…
Showing all posts tagged Soeharto
What will the future bring?
John Aglionby, Financial Times, January 30: But there is a deeper problem, says Mr Fajrul [Rahman]. “Last year the [Indonesian] government ordered that tens of thousands of schoolbooks be burnt because they dared to suggest that the official version of events surrounding Suharto’s rise to power in 1965 [that he defeated a communist-led coup] should…
The friends he keeps
Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating describes Indonesia’s deceased dictator Soeharto, one of the most brutal of the last century, after his funeral yesterday: Personally, he was a friend…It took a while to get him to come out of his shell, but when he did, he was utterly decisive. He was able to take quick…
Why we love mass murderers
Indonesian dictator Soeharto died yesterday. He was one of the 20th centuries most brutal dictators, killing over one million people in the name of strengthening his rule. The Australian newspaper, however, decides to praise the man and primarily discusses his economic “reforms”. Of course, if Cambodia’s Pol Pot had left his country in better financial…
Getting close to a madman
Tom Hyland, The Sunday Age, January 20: Indonesians will judge Soeharto’s place in history. But we can judge the record of our leaders in their relationship with him. Soeharto was a mass murderer and a kleptomaniac. Just don’t expect Kevin Rudd to say it.