It's been another great week to be a radio news editor. So much news, so little time to broadcast. The editor's dilemma. Being based in Hong Kong, we obviously focused on the unfolding tragedy in Indonesia. And being part of China, we couldn't possibly ignore Johnny Chung's allegations that the People's Liberation Army paid for Bill Clinton's election campaign!
So, farewell then, Suharto. Or then again, perhaps we should be saying 'au revoir' - see you again. And if his cunning little plan works, rest assured we will be seeing him again. Perhaps I should qualify that. We will be seeing his bloodied hand in every policy and 'reform' introduced by his protege and newly appointed president, B.J. Habibie.
Habibie owes everything to Suharto. Back in 1994 several magazines that dared to challenge his competence were forced to close down. Habibie's track record as a democratically inclined reformer is not encouraging. He doesn't have one. When Habibie was nominated as Vice President, the already battered Indonesian currency plunged even further. The guy simply has no credibility. Even the military doesn't like him very much - he was never a soldier. However, while Suharto continues to pull Habibie's strings, the army are unlikely to move against him. Suharto promoted Habibie beyond his capability simply to ensure there was no one in the higher echelons of 'democratic' politics to challenge him. This was important. Western governments are embarrassed by military coups, they feel much more comfortable dealing with constitutionally appointed dictator.
Suharto has done a Ne Win, a Lee Kwan-yiew. The Burmese strongman stood aside in favour of his protege, and so did the humourless Singaporean. Years after we can still see their influence on the politics and policies of their countries. Suharto could not have done it without the support of the Indonesian military - and the fact that Western politicians gave him so much time to put the plan into place. Thirty-two years.
Suharto's departure wasn't unexpected. The evening before his resignation we editors were sitting around the newsdesk absolutely aghast. A British cabinet minister had just described the government of Suharto as a 'regime'. Indonesia's biggest arms supplier had just ascribed their client with a title that has such sinister and negative connotations. London would never say 'the Clinton regime' would they? No, London likes Bill. And until this month they liked Suharto, too. Indonesian students had already begun their peaceful protests against his 32-year rule when Britain decided to ignore its own 'ethical foreign policy initiative' and confirm the sale of tanks and Hawk fighter jets to Jakarta.
Even Maddie Albright added her voice to the growing calls for Suharto to step down. The Secretary of State suggested that an ally Washington had previously pretended was a duly elected leader surrender to mob-rule and resign. She also urged democratic reform. A bit late Maddie, a bit late. You've been staring the truth in the face for years and didn't - or chose not to see it. After the resignation POTUS jumped on the bandwagon and said today's events will give Indonesia the opportunity to reform and achieve democracy. If they didn't have it before, why did you guys deal with them so favourably?
A couple of months ago it would have been unthinkable that London and Washington could have conceived a situation where they would be trying to distance themselves from South East Asia's longest serving dictator. But when the waves are lapping at the scuppers, the rats can always be witnessed deserting the sinking ship.
For years the great and good have ignored calls for them to put pressure on Indonesia to embark on democratic reform. They've ignored UN resolutions demanding that Indonesia withdraw its forces from East Timor. They've ignored human rights abuse and the total lack of press freedom. Because it was good for business. Not that they would have put it so bluntly.
Well, now the West have to deal with a guy who is being described as Suharto's spoiled child. They should find it easy.
Meanwhile, it certainly seems that Johnny Chung has deserted his Democratic Party pals. Perhaps he thinks the GOP can offer him better protection against his former friends in Beijing. If Chung really did receive 300-thousand bucks from China Aerospace to buy off Clinton and Gore but only passed on 100-thousand, I'd be pretty nervous. Chung started the ball rolling, and now Newt appears determined to give it a hefty kick into a 'Watergate' style investigation. Of course everyone under suspicion is denying any wrongdoing, but then, so did Nixon.
China issued an emphatic rebuttle of the New York Times claims that Chung was a conduit for funds from a Chinese aerospace company to the Democratic Party fund raising committee. A spokesman says the allegations slander China. Personally, I'd say if Beijing did funnel cash through Chung and use him as a 'trigger' to advance cooperation between US and Chinese aerospace and satellite interests it would show Chinese initiative and demonstrate how cheaply American politicians can be bought. That's if the allegations are true. And even then, they couldn't really admit it, could they? It is a bit like taking a pee while wearing dark trousers. You get a warm feeling but no one notices - and you don't really want them to.
The White House has rubbished any possible connection between the reported Chinese contributions and its decision to allow another serious US-based Democratic Party fund raiser to launch its satellites on Chinese rockets.
Newt's sleuths will be investigating allegations that Loral Space and Communications received favourable treatment on high technology exports to China. The company's chief executive officer, Bernard Schartz, was the Democratic Party's largest single donor for the 1996 election.
Coincidence? It all makes for a great scandal, and as a conspiracy theorist I don't trust coincidence. And it seems that House Democrats are not too sure either. Their endorsement of moves to prevent POTUS from entering into further high technology aerospace exchanges with China suggests they may feel uneasy about the whole affair.
I don't believe for a second that Clinton is part of a conspiracy that purposely endangered US security for his own personal advantage. But I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that POTUS hasn't perhaps been a little less than circumspect in some of his decisions. We're all human. History has shown that presidents and politicians can be dumb too.
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