Suharto Failure

Suharto, one of the more brutal dictators of the 20th century, has finally convinced his nation he is incapable of standing trial, succumbing to multiple organ failure at the age of 86. While much was made of his homicidal mania that started with the execution of opponents after he out-couped a leftist coup that attempted to knock Sukarno out of office, and ultimately led to the deaths of more than 500,000 Indonesians, it is worth noting that after the first few years of civil war and ethnic cleansing, the death rate slowed considerably and over the course of his 33-year rule, he only killed about 2 million countrymen. And 200,000 of the 700,000 East Timorese in a 1975 invasion and subsequent famine. His rule was also marked by significant economic growth, much of which ended up in his bank account and those of his corrupt family and administration. Estimates of the amount embezzled topped $35 billion. The successful economy and his anti-Communism left Suharto largely free of criticism both at home and abroad, and those that did complain disappeared. After being forced from office in 1998, he spent the last decade of his life practicing the Pinochet gambit, a constant stream of conveniently timed health crises to avoid prosecution for a little genocide and graft.

Mike’s Academic Squad was the only list that included a cup of Javanese and he takes over first with 2 hits and 25 points.