The Fifth Season (19 page)

It was considered mandatory for their mother,
Ibu
Purwadira to participate in activities directed under the auspices of the Police Women's Foundation. There, she learned, the bulk of all finances which flowed from non-taxable collections and generated by the Foundation's commercial activities were directed to the senior officers and their families, to supplement the relatively meager salaries provided by the government. The family easily settled in to their new life style, and the children were placed in the best schools. When Hani learned that she would be attending the
Uber Sakti University
, she was ecstatic, fulfilling her dream to attend such a respected institution. Before her father's promotion, such a possibility would never have entered her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Wanti, returning her to the moment.

‘What do you say, Hani, are you game?'

‘When will this take place?'
she asked, knowing full well when it would be. She had to find a way out, without appearing to be non-supportive.

‘Next week,'
the Sumatran student jumped in.
‘Come on, Hani, why don't
you join in for once?'
Sensing she was trapped, Hani elected to leave before saying something she could not later retract.

‘If I can find time then,'
she promised.

‘Hani, are you sure?'
Wanti shrieked.

‘Catch you later, Wanti,'
was all she said, smiling at her closest friend while strolling away, nonchalantly.

Although conscious of her father's instructions regarding such student political assemblies, Hani was, nevertheless, tempted. It seemed that she was the only one in her group who had not participated at least once, in the on-campus demonstrations. She regretted having raised the matter with her mother, whose resulting tirade had continued for days. Since then,
Ibu
Purwadira had warned her again and again, not to be so foolish, such reminders now dreary and tiresome.

Hani was annoyed with her mother's treatment, and her bossy behavior.
Didn't she recognize that her daughter was no longer a child? Of course she
would not jeopardize her father's career!
Hani frowned, thoughtfully, recalling her most recent scolding. Her mother's demeanor had changed since their move from Sukabumi, and Hani felt that she had borne the brunt of her transformation from an unknown district policeman's wife, to darling of the Indonesian police hierarchy's social set.

Her father had warned Hani of the secret military intelligence presence on campus, whose agents had been tasked to monitor student activities. And the General was certainly in a position to know. As Garrison Commander, it was his responsibility to coordinate many of these covert activities. As she walked casually away from the boys the thought crossed her mind that even a group such as this could easily have been infiltrated by such elements. Uneasy with this possibility, Hani hurried off to prepare for her next lecture, knowing that Wanti would catch up before returning home that day.

* * * *

Lily Suryajaya listened attentively as the lecture came to a close. Satisfied that she had managed to make notes of the more salient points mentioned, Lily gently closed her book and looked around the small hall, wondering just how many of those present would be able to find employment, once they had graduated. She expected that those of Chinese extraction would be employed by family associated businesses. Lily believed this to be only fair; the families carried the burden of financing their children's education, and would expect to benefit in some material way, in return.

Lily wished she had been closer to her uncle. She knew that the value of a local degree would not be considered on a par with those obtained by studying overseas. She was aware that many of the students present would not have been accepted had the college staff not been coerced, either by direct pressure, or the customary envelope containing some thousands of dollars. She knew that without her father's influence, Hani Purwadira would not be in attendance.

Childish giggling from one corner momentarily distracted Lily, and she observed a number of girls engrossed in conversation with the Police Chief 's popular daughter. She caught Hani's eye and smiled, but the general's daughter looked straight through her. Lily knew that she was deliberately being ignored and, although this stung, she understood why. Over the past few months the social and political climate had changed.

Racial discrimination was not all that evident on campus, as there was a modicum of social integration between the students. It would have been difficult for this not to have been so, with more than thirty, quite separate ethnic groups represented within the student body. Lily had never really understood why, in a country as diverse as Indonesia, the collective indigenous feeling was to stigmatize the Chinese for what came naturally to them as a race.

Lily accepted that her goals may be different to those of Hani, Wanti, and her other
pribumi
friends. She knew that, unlike their Chinese counterparts, only a few of their number would go on to enter the workforce, most marrying before completing their studies and starting families while she, on the other hand, would be building her career, and searching for ways to contribute to her family's welfare. She knew that her physical needs were no less different than Hani or her friends, it was just that Lily had decided to be more responsible in addressing these feelings. She recalled how the boys back in her home town would often quip, suggesting within earshot, that Chinese girls were different sexually. Lily could not understand why they acted so, and why young men would wish to perpetuate such myths.

Lily accepted that her relationship with Hani had been instigated at the request of her uncle, and Hani's influential father, the Brigadier General, but she was saddened that their friendship did not extend to her being included amongst Hani's campus friends. As a young, determined, Chinese woman, she had learned to accommodate disappointment. Nevertheless Lily still enjoyed the attractive West Javanese girl's vibrant company, and looked forward to her next visit, during which, Lily would teach the other girl how to swim.

Their association had evolved as a result of her uncle's suggestion that Lily encourage the General's daughter to visit their apartment, and take advantage of the condominium's excellent facilities. Unbeknown to Lily, Hani had only accepted these invitations to visit the Chinese student in her uncle's luxurious surrounds, under pressure from her father. It seemed that the two men's mutual interests could be served by strengthening these ties socially. Hani, however, had never invited Lily to visit the Purwadira home.

Hani's visits began to have meaning for Lily, even though she quietly acknowledged that their relationship had been built on their families' needs, and might not be all that permanent. For Lily's uncle was a
cukong
, a Chinese middle-man and broker to those influential in government and the military.

Even as a child, Lily was raised to understand the value Chinese placed on such relationships for, without these, their safety would remain under threat by those who envied their race's pragmatic determination, and economic success. She had been taught to remain subservient to the greater number and nurture friendships should these be offered. In her home town of Situbondo, Lily had spent most of her spare hours assisting her parents in their store, as was the norm with others of her ethnic background. She worked, and when not gainfully occupied helping her family, Lily studied.

There just never seemed to be any spare time to play.

When the opportunity arose for her to study in Jakarta, she had gratefully accepted her uncle's kind offer, and now repaid his gesture by studying hard and behaving well, to show that she was worthy. Lily respected her aunt and uncle, as if they were her own parents.

Lily often overheard snippets of conversations referring to the old Chinatown office where her uncle still maintained his core activities of money-lending and influence peddling. Her uncle,
Oom Setio
, was in no way rich by Jakarta Chinese standards, although in Western terms, he could be considered so.

His wealth had been slowly accumulated over three decades, his first opportunity arising from his association with an earlier Metropolitan Chief of Police. The general's appetites far exceeded his salary, placing him at the head of a long list of corrupt government officials and officers who made their way to
Oom Setio's
unimpressive shop in Kota, the capital's Chinatown. There, they would find the tallish, almost obese Bud-dha-shaped man sitting behind an undersized desk, the
cukong
dressed in pajama trousers, his upper torso covered only with a singlet.

It was in these deceivingly austere surroundings that
Oom Setio
had dispensed considerable amounts of money in exchange for favors, contracts, and the occasional falsified document to permit one of his more recently arrived colleagues to legally remain. His was a respectable profession amongst the Chinese, and as such, the
cukongs
never once questioned the ethics of effecting bribes, as these helped relieve the moral responsibility of doing business in a corrupt environment. Setio maintained this facade of near poverty until changing times required that he at least dress to con-form with his peers who, as was the practice amongst the emerging
cukong
class, preferred to travel to Singapore or even Hong Kong to display their wealth in more receptive environments.

Before President Suhapto's presidency had entered its third term
Oom
Setio
, and many of his race and class, had achieved considerable wealth, and in so doing, established strong lines of communication with those in power, whose own fortunes were derived from this comfortable association. Lily, as did most Indonesian Chinese, clearly understood the necessity for these arrangements to remain intact as, apart from the enormous riches generated, there was an unspoken undertaking that as long as the
status quo
remained, the Chinese would not have to fear for their safety.

Lily had learned, that subsequent to the horrors of the Sixties'
Years
of Living Dangerously
when all Chinese had been irrationally targeted by indigenous Indonesians, subsequent generations had enjoyed a radically changed political and social climate, one which even witnessed the country's First Family develop close commercial and social ties with Indonesians of Chinese extraction.

Lily admitted that as each generation had broken new ground, so too, it seemed, that many of the younger Chinese developed an air of superiority and quiet arrogance towards their less fortunate fellow-countrymen. Over the past months, racial tensions had re-ignited as the gap between wealthy and poor widened dramatically. Even the language changed. New, and even more derogatory racial terms evolved as the seeds of envy grew, threatening another harvest not dissimilar to the devastating race-related riots of earlier years. Incredibly, neither indigenous nor the Indonesians of Chinese extraction were conscious of the growing similarities between current trends, and those which had precipitated earlier racial confrontations.

As Indonesia exploded into a
Nirvana
of commercial opportunities, the bonds between the forever-patient Chinese and influential officials strengthened, removing any suggestion that all was not well. When the Year of the Tiger entered, dragging the world through the first quarter of 1998, Indonesia boasted tens of thousands of millionaires, most of whom were Jakarta residents of Chinese extraction. Lily often listened quietly, as
Oom Setio
quite openly discussed his affairs with members of his family.

She had never asked but was reasonably confident, that her uncle's wealth would be in excess of ten million dollars, if not more. Lily calculated that given the value of the properties she knew he owned, if they were to be sold,
Oom Setio
would have a handsome sum of money indeed, to disperse amongst his family and relatives.

Lily knew that it would be most unlikely that she would ever become a beneficiary of her uncle's wealth. She was just grateful for the food and shelter he had afforded her, and the opportunity to attend the Uber Sakti University which, she also knew, had required
Oom Setio's
direct intervention to ensure her acceptance. All but one of his children had been sent overseas to complete their schooling. The remaining child, Layla, had recently turned twelve and attended the Ora Et Labora school in Kebayoran. She would be expected to follow her brothers and sisters to Australia, or America to attend university, when the time arrived.

Lily's thoughts returned to her friend Hani, who had finally agreed to join her for a swim in the condominium pool. At first, Lily had assumed that Hani's reluctance to take advantage of the luxurious setting was due to her not wishing to be seen in public together. She had wanted to say that this would not represent a problem as the entire apartment block was owned, and occupied, by Chinese. Later, Lily was to learn that Hani had mainly been deterred because she was not an experienced swimmer, and did not wish to appear foolish in front of the others. Also, Hani had complained, the sun was far too hot and she really did not wish her fine, light-brown skin to darken like some peasant girl. Lily had suggested an early evening swim and, after some deliberation, Hani had accepted
.

* * * *

Hani's father, Brigadier General Purwadira had not found it necessary to trek down to any
cukong's
lair for, in this day and age, the
Oom Setios
of the world had moved into a new era, one in which they now dressed in expensively tailored suits, and were driven directly to the senior military officers' headquarters in highly polished Mercedes without any fear of recrimination. In his position as Jakarta Garrison Commander, the General most certainly would never have considered it a requirement of his post, that he resort to asking any of the Chinese directly for favors. To the contrary, it was
he
who expected that these brokers and middlemen approach him, as had been the accepted behavior over more recent years.