Sita W. Dewi and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Indonesians have a strong tendency to refrain from speaking ill of the recently deceased. Their sins and misdeeds are supposed to be buried along with the corpse.

So when Adm. (ret) Sudomo, 85, died on Wednesday, people naturally discussed the positive aspects of the man. Vice President Boediono will preside over his funeral service at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery on Thursday morning.

Born in Malang on Sept. 20, 1926, the retired admiral is survived by four children.

However, some have reluctantly talked about Sudomo's darker side as one of then president Soeharto's key aides during the latter's iron-fisted rule. He was directly responsible for maintaining security and public order for five years from 1978 to 1983, when Soeharto gave Sudomo a free rein in not tolerating any security disturbance of any nature.

The military often committed gross human rights abuses during Soeharto's 32-year rule including during Sudomo's tenure as chief of the Command for Restoration of Security and Public Order (Pangkokamtib). Hundreds of students, anti-government activists, Muslim hard-liners and even innocent people were jailed, many without trials during his command.

Satisfied with his loyal service, Soeharto kept Sudomo by his side until his fall in May 1998. From 1983 to 1988 he served as his manpower and transmigration minister – he jokingly described his position as 'horsepower minister' – before taking the new position as the coordinating minister for political and security affairs in 1988.

He held the position for five years until 1993. For another year, Soeharto entrusted him as his chief advisor, in his position as the chairman of the now defunct Supreme Advisory Council (DPA).

Many people had strong feelings about him but his great sense of humour, generosity and solidarity with his former colleagues and friends went far to balance his negative role as Soeharto's right-hand man.

Ali Sadikin, the former governor of Jakarta was one of Soeharto's staunchest critics. The retired three-star Marine general was one of Sudomo's former chiefs in the Navy. Sudomo always showed his respect to his former boss who lived near his home on Jl. Borobudur, Menteng, even when Ali teased him in public.

During Soeharto's era, a military chief was expected to look after his troops as well as the welfare of their families. Many soldiers and his staff have testified to the helpfulness of Sudomo, especially in sharing the burden of the cost of sending their children to school or university.

To some of his close friends, Sudomo was remembered as a humble and good-natured man.

"Judging from his appearance, Sudomo never looked like he was a person who had a strategic role in the Soeharto era. He was very friendly. He sometimes came late to an event and chose to just sit at the back of the venue," former Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung said on Wednesday.

Akbar, who visited Sudomo in the hospital three days before he died, said that Sudomo's death was a big loss to the country and to his close friends.