A Social Gathering of the Opposition
Oei Tjoe Tat belonged to a rotating social gathering with former ministers from the Sukarno era. It became a meeting place for opponents of New Order
Stanley Adi Prasetyo, an electrical engineering student at Satya Wacana Christian University in Salatiga, received news in May 1986 that former state minister Oei Tjoe Tat would be visiting the city. Oei, who had been a political prisoner under President Sukarno, had long been absent from the political scene. However, Arief Budiman, a lecturer at the university and brother of activist Soe Hok Gie, saw the opportunity to connect Stanley with influential figures.
Arief introduced Oei to the campus discussion group, which piqued Stanley's curiosity. Prompted by Arief's sharing of Oei's memoir, Stanley learned about Oei's background and the role he had played as an assistant to President Sukarno. In 1995, the memoir was published as the book Memoar Oei Tjoe Tat: Pembantu Presiden Soekarno, edited by Stanley and writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Daniel S. Lev, an Indonesian scholar, wrote the foreword.
When Oei arrived at the university, he was already experiencing symptoms of a stroke, yet he managed to participate in the discussion. Afterward, Stanley asked for Oei's contact information. As Oei's health declined, he continued to share his experiences of the Chinese-Indonesian community and life under Sukarno's presidency. Stanley made it a habit to visit Oei at his home on Jalan Blitar No. 10 in Menteng, Central Jakarta, before and after traveling for demonstrations and discussions.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
