Episode of Series “Riding the tiger”.
Riding the Tiger Series. In this episode we trace the struggle between the military, the communists and the rich landed Muslim gentry to control the economy of the newly-formed nation. In 1965 the tensions between the various factions exploded: President Sukarno was replaced by military general Suharto and half a million communists and “communist sympathisers” were executed. Since 1965 the military has developed a one-party dictatorship which actively encourages its civilians to allow the dictates of business (both local and foreign) to take precedence over all other aspects of life. The last part of the video examines the conflict between Indonesia’s economic growth and its governments’ consistent human rights abuses.