The end of Suharto's 32-year grip on power was brought closer on May 18, when Harmoko, the speaker of the House of Representatives (the legislature) and head of Golkar, added his voice to the calls for Suharto to resign.
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Harmoko stated that Suharto should "step down for the integrity and unity of the nation". Many commentators saw this shock announcement by Harmoko, a long-time loyal supporter of Suharto, as the death-knell of the regime. Uncertainty remained, however, as Harmoko's call was rejected by Gen. Wiranto who suggested that the statement was that of an individual and had "no legal basis".
In unprecedented scenes on May 18, several thousand students resumed their protests of the previous week by temporarily invading the legislature building in order to deliver a petition urging Suharto's departure. The students spent several hours in the building chanting anti-Suharto slogans—whilst the army stood by without intervening—before finally leaving. In an indication that the military's tolerance of the protests would not last much longer, however, Wiranto warned the students not to go ahead with mass demonstrations planned to coincide with the country's National Awakening Day (the anniversary of the founding of Indonesia's first anti-colonial movement) on May 20, stating there was "a strong possibility of large-scale casualties".
In a final desperate bid to save his presidency Suharto offered a series of concessions to the demonstrators on May 19. In a live television address, he stated that he would hold legislative elections "as soon as possible" following a change in electoral laws and vowed that he would not stand in a further presidential election following the end of his present term in office. [For 1997 legislative elections see pp. 41643-44.] He also pledged to create a "reform committee" to oversee these changes, although no timetable was provided.
The concessions received an instant rejection from the 10,000 students who had re-occupied the legislature. Most of the opposition saw Suharto's pledges as a cynical manoeuvre designed to allow him to retain his grip on power and they continued to call for his resignation. Rais, who declared himself ready to replace Suharto as President, stated that the protesters had now "reached the point of no return" and predicted that Suharto "will be defeated soon".
Widely anticipated civil unrest and further chaos on the streets of Jakarta was avoided on May 20 when Rais called off the planned million-strong "people's power" march to commemorate National Awakening Day. In the face of overwhelming troop deployments throughout the city, Rais stated that he did not want to see "more bloodshed, more unnecessary victims". Rais reportedly came to the decision after he had been warned by a leading general that the military "did not care if an accident like Tiananmen Square happens", a reference to the massacre of pro-democracy protesters in Beijing, China, in 1989 [see pp. 36720-22]. The military subsequently took control of the city's streets, and barbed-wire barricades and tanks were stationed at every major junction. Despite this show of force, thousands of students continued to occupy the legislature, vowing to stay until Suharto resigned.
As the students continued their sit-in, Harmoko delivered a letter to Suharto which stated that if he refused to resign as President, high-ranking figures within the legislature would call a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly to bring about his impeachment and removal. The call for Suharto to go was backed significantly by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who urged Asia's longest serving ruler to "preserve his legacy" by stepping down and making way for "democratic transition".
Suharto finally submitted to the mounting pressure at home and abroad by tendering his resignation on May 21. In a terse television address from his presidential palace, Suharto apologised for "any mistakes or shortcomings" and announced that Habibie would see out the rest of his presidential term until 2003. Whilst Suharto's resignation was presented as a voluntary and statesmanlike gesture, officials and diplomats said that he had been forced to step down after the military leadership told him he no longer had their support. Eleven of his ministers had also allegedly signed a letter of resignation encouraging him to go.
This article comes from Keesings Worldwide Online
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