The Emperor’s Close Friends

Candidates for Golkar Chair are cozying up to the Palace—but do executive charms still matter?

December 14, 2004

SOMETHING in the pile of afternoon papers stopped Syamsul Muarif. A headline in the Jakarta paper demanded to be read by the former Minister of Information & Communication in Megawati’s cabinet. “Government Asked to Stay Neutral in Golkar National Meeting”. The Chairman of Golkar Party’s Central Leadership Board dragged an empty chair to the table and sat down, reading intently. It was a revisiting of the drama that had su

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