By Freddy Alexis in Jakarta and Max Lane
On November 25 the Suharto regime finally gave in to demands of demonstrators who had been protesting for several weeks against a decision to extend the life of a state lottery system notorious for its corrupt management.
The state lottery system, known as SDSB, is supposed to supply funding to the Department of Social Welfare, but commentators and protesters have been asking for a proper accounting of where the millions have really ended up.
Muslim leaders and activists have also been campaigning against the SDSB on an anti-gambling platform.
The two sets of concerns led to demonstrations in 21 cities on Java during the last few weeks, including seemingly coordinated demonstrations in 13 cities on one day. They culminated in a demonstration of several thousand young people outside the presidential offices last week. The demonstrators carried banners calling the lottery system the "forbidden child of capitalism".
Even when Social Welfare minister Inten Suweno announced the cancellation of the lottery system, the private TV station RCTVI (owned by a Suharto son) reported that 1000 demonstrators disrupted his reading of the statement. Twice Suweno had to stop his speech to check on the disruption occurring outside. Three hundred military were posted to guard the parliamentary building where he made the statement.
Rumours now abound about the corruption in the SDSB scheme. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Indonesians buy the tickets each week. Sources in Jakarta told Green Left Weekly that sources inside the foundation that runs the SDSB say that President Suharto's two sons, Sigit and Tommy, have been receiving US$400,000 per week, while four ministers and other officials receive between $100,000 and $200,000 per week.
Several MPs have supported abolition of the system. However, members of Suharto's ruling party, GOLKAR, have said that they will attempt to devise an alternative.
This gives weight to the rumours that Suharto was willing to abolish SDSB so that he could remove rivals from managing the lottery and establish a more tightly controlled system. However, its is unlikely that he was planning to have the situation determined for him by mass demonstrations.
Muslim leaders are now calling for a campaign against alcohol. But Deliar Noer, the periodic chairperson of the opposition group, the Forum for the Purification of People's Sovereignty (established by the Petition of 50), has also called for the government to give a full accounting of receipts and expenditures during the life of the lottery system.
Only Suharto and four other ministers have access to the accounts. It is reported that he is angry with both the official Islamic organisations and the military, neither of which was able to control the demonstrations.