There was great hope nearly a decade ago that victims of state violence and all Indonesian people would have justice, when president Soeharto stepped down after 32 years in power.
The political climate was fully in favor of the people, with the People's Consultative Assembly, then the most powerful legislative body in the country, ordering an investigation into alleged corruption, collusion and nepotism involving Soeharto and his cronies.
Few people today would remember the Assembly decree, which has remained just a piece of paper, not because the legislative body has lost much of its power, but because of the forgiving mentality which has long characterized this nation.
Political leaders who once cried for reform in 1998 have slowly but surely eaten their words when it comes to Soeharto's alleged crimes. They have lately been seen on TV, gathering at Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta to express their gratitude for Soeharto, and chanting in unison about the need for the nation to forgive the former president.
The around the clock media coverage of Soeharto's fight for life has elicited sympathy, including from former political enemies of Soeharto's New Order regime, for the former strongman, who is now lying helpless in a hospital bed, clinging to life with the help of machines.
Since Soeharto was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 4, the media has offered continuous updates on Soeharto's fight for survival. Just about every media outlet in the capital has reporters on standby at the hospital. One TV cameraman was warned by his boss after he missed footage of Soeharto that rival stations aired.
It was perhaps this endless media coverage that prompted former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to fly to Jakarta and visit their old friend. Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was the latest to pay a visit to Soeharto.
Most of the reports on Soeharto's deteriorating health have helped shape the public opinion that the former dictator is just a man who made some mistakes, and therefore deserves forgiveness now that he is apparently facing the last episode of his life.
Nobody in the media has looked at those who were made to suffer during Soeharto's rule. Thousands of people were killed in the military-backed countermove against the communists, many perished in the rebellious provinces of Irian Jaya, or Papua, Aceh and East Timor, not to mention all those who disappeared for their opposition to Soeharto.
These atrocities, which surely took place with Soeharto's knowledge, will remain open wounds plaguing the nation if they are left uninvestigated. With the truth and reconciliation commission still absent after the Constitutional Court declared its formation in 2005 unconstitutional, there is no body to hold Soeharto accountable for these crimes.
As long as this continues, Indonesia will be known as a nation without justice, where laws can be broken with impunity. Other countries that once fell under military rule, like Chile, have dared to bring former leaders to justice, in order for the nation learn from the past.
Soeharto, who the Assembly at one time named the Father of Development, looks likely to keep his name clean, at least in his lifetime, with the attorney general dropping corruption charges against him on grounds commonly applied to the deceased. And the civil lawsuit against Soeharto's foundations look set to end amicably after an out-of-court settlement was offered to Soeharto's family. It will be just a matter of time that the government will name Soeharto a national hero.
The latest statement from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who said now was not the time for the nation to talk about legal matters involving Soeharto, will probably kill off any remaining debate over the alleged crimes of the self-appointed five-star general.
That Yudhoyono and other state officials underline the need to respect Soeharto for his contributions to the country clearly shows how powerful the former president remains, and how powerless the nation is to uphold justice. Do not be surprised, then, if in the future many others join Soeharto in the club of the untouchables.