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SCMP Reporter

For 31 years the relatives and cronies of Indonesia's President Suharto have ruled Indonesian industry, feeding greedily off the patronage of the former army general who ousted the country's founding president, Sukarno, to amass vast fortunes.

 Their business activities have become legendary, yet are probably more extensive than most imagine.

 The International Monetary Fund is said to have been surprised as it delved deeper ahead of awarding its multi-billion dollar international aid package.

 The Suharto family interests include: cigarettes, toll roads, banking, broking, electronics, petrochemicals, timber, paper, newspapers, telecommunications, plantations, property, shipping, cars, mining, taxis and an airline.

 While the economy was doing well and there was plenty of money to go around among the business classes, nobody seemed to mind.

  Now the country's economy is on the verge of collapse, some of the fat cats are being brought back down to size.

 'Suharto knows his choices between sacrifice and survival,' Christianto Wibisono, who heads the Indonesian Business Data Centre, said.

 A lesson some of his relatives have been slow to learn.

 Clearly angry that his interests dared be tampered with, the president's second son Bambang Trihatmodjo's bank, Bank Andromeda, filed a writ against Finance Minister Mar'ie Muhammad and central bank governor Sudradjad Djiwandono for including it among 16 ailing private banks to be closed.

 Mr Suharto's half brother Probosutedjo has refused to sign a liquidation order for his bank, Bank Jakarta, and has threatened to turn to the courts to reverse the move.

 The untouchables have been touched by reality and they do not like it.

 Until the early 1980s, the Suharto family business operated along lines familiar in many developing countries.

 A foreign contractor bidding for a large project would form an agency arrangement with a domestic firm often connected with a domestic tycoon, such as Liem Sioe Liong or Mohammad 'Bob' Hasan.

 They in turn would enlist the services of a presidential relative who would, in effect, be bartering access to Mr Suharto's ear.

 When a contract was struck, there would then be pay-offs, or 'agency fees'.

 The ball park changed when the Suhartos changed from being agents or middlemen to direct investors.

 From here they started diversifying into all sectors of the economy.

 Mr Trihatmodjo's Bimantara group, set up in 1982, is now the largest ethnic Indonesian-owned conglomerate.

 Eldest sister Siti 'Tutut' Hardyanti Rukmana, is married to one of the co-founders of Bimantara, and in 1983 created the Citra Lamtoro Gung group which among other things runs a very lucrative toll roads business.

 Their younger brother Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandala Putra set up the Humpuss group in 1984.

 Eldest brother Sigit Harjojudanto and the two younger sisters Siti 'Titiek' Hediati Heriyadi Prabowo and Siti 'Mamiek' Hutami Endang Andyiningsih also have multi-million dollar business interests.

 Their interests were today so widespread, analysts said it would be impossible for the country to embark on much-needed reforms without treading on their toes.

 Adam Schwartz, in his book Nation in Waiting, quoted CIA sources as saying the Suharto family wealth was US$48 billion.

 Forbes magazine named the president as the third richest man in the world in its 'king or tyrant' category.

 As well as Mr Trihatmodjo's Bank Andromeda and Mr Probosutedjo's Bank Jakarta, Mr Suharto's second daughter, Ms Heriyadi Prabowo, saw Bank Industri, in which she has an 8 per cent stake, also shut down.

 Though four other banks owned by Suharto relatives masterminded narrow escapes, the IMF's negotiations with Indonesia are rumoured to have stalled while their names remained on the list.

 Two of the banks, Bank Yama and Bank Utama, are said to have been bailed out by Bank Central Asia, owned by Liem Sioe Liong of Salim Group fame.

 The Salims, who also own Hong Kong's First Pacific group, have been close to Mr Suharto ever since his early army days when they are said to have supplied the army with equipment.

 Mr Suharto's cousin Sudwikatmono rescued one of his banks with his own money, while a second was bailed out by mystery backers.

 It is rumoured timber tycoon Prayogo Pangestu, another Bank Andromeda share holder and long-time Suharto crony, was supposed to have bailed out Mr Trihatmodjo's bank, but struggled to come up with the money on time.

 Mr Wibisono said by closing three Suharto family-linked banks it was important for the government to show the public that the first family was not above the law and there was no favouritism as the country embarked on its reforms.

 However, he said: 'There is discrimination within the first family. There are some more equal than others.'  Rivalry between the various siblings is much discussed in Jakarta. Some relatives have clearly been stung more than others by the initial batch of reforms.

 Mr Suharto's eldest daughter Ms Hardyanti Rukmana and Mr Mandala Putra seem to have got off lightly.

 To appease the IMF and other international donors including Japan, Mr Mandala Putra has stood down as president director of Timor Putra Nasional, which is embarking on the controversial national car project.

 He will retain his majority shareholding and stay on as president commissioner.

 He will no longer be the equivalent of the chief executive but will remain chairman of the board.

  The Indonesians have also agreed to abide by a World Trade Organisation disputes tribunal ruling as to whether the Timor project - by which South Korean cars produced by Kia Motors are imported at vastly preferential tax rates and then called an Indonesian 'national car' - breaches international trade laws and should be stopped.

 But by the time the slow moving mechanisms of the WTO get rolling, it could be too late.

 Mr Mandala Putra's controversial cloves board monopoly has remained intact.

 This is despite buying cloves from farmers at rock bottom prices, selling them to kretek cigarette-makers at extortionate prices and still somehow supposedly making a loss.

 Also removed this week have been import tariffs on many petrochemical products, which is expected to hurt another Suharto family vehicle Tripolyta, which produces poly products.

 However, Chandra Asri, which makes aromatics and is said to have substantial loans with state-owned banks, will continue to be protected by import tariffs.

 As more reforms come, Suharto family interests are bound to be increasingly affected. The next wave is expected to include insurance companies, broking firms, pension funds and regional and state-owned banks.

 The Suhartos' main interests in Indonesia are broking firms Pentasena Securities, owned by Ms Hardyanti Rukmana, and Bhakti Investama, owned by Ms Heriyadi Prabowo. Both enjoy large volumes and are expected to survive.

 Though other casualties may well be seen - assuming the Finance Ministry gets that far and is not blocked at the first hurdle by Mr Trihatmodjo's court bid and also that Mr Muhammad and the IMF stay that long.



Suhartos down but far from out