The Night that Sank Soeryadjaya
A decade ago, William Soeryadjaya lost everything. One rainy night, a number of his fellow businessmen gave him a letter: a request that he sell his empire, the Astra International automobile factory, to save Bank Summa, then close to going under. He was cornered. Rejecting meant letting his son's "baby" drown, but accepting would be tantamount to willingly abandoning one's own child. That's why, perhaps, the letter was like a thunderclap. "As if blind and deaf, I just signed that letter," William said. When Astra sales could not save Summa, Wiliam knew a terrible force had arranged for his fall. He believed Summa's bankruptcy was only an interim target paving the way for the seizure of Astra from his hands. This untold story of the fall of a business dynasty in Indonesia was kept buried for a decade although a book on the history of Astra and William was published last June.
August 27, 2002
The night had put Jakarta to sleep when William Soeryadjaya opened the door for his guest. For the host, the guest was no stranger. However, a visit made past midnight, especially without notice, was not only surprising but also suggested a critical moment. He was right. The guest, businessman Sofyan Wanandi, gave him a letter: a request that William sell the shares of Astra International and hand over the helm of the company to a group of bu
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