Indonesia’s National Soap Opera

It is this capital city’s most riveting drama: the saga of a wealthy man who falls from power and his favorite son, a onetime playboy race car driver who runs afoul of the law and evades police for a year.

In the latest episode, the old man falls ill and is hospitalized after his son is arrested in the slaying of a Supreme Court judge. Police take the son in handcuffs to his father’s bedside so the two can have what may be their last visit together.

With twists and turns too unlikely for a soap opera, what keeps everyone tuning in is that this show is reality. At the center of the plot are Suharto, 80, the ailing former dictator who ruled Indonesia for 32 years, and his recently arrested son, Hutomo Mandala Putra, 39, better known as Tommy.

Suharto, who amassed tremendous wealth as president but escaped prosecution on corruption charges because of illness, was taken to the hospital Monday night after losing consciousness at his Jakarta home. Doctors said he is suffering from pneumonia.

Tommy was taken by police Tuesday to visit his father as scores of photographers and journalists gathered outside the hospital. Some reporters staked out the exits to see if he would try to slip away.

The visit was a sign of how much influence the family still wields. Just three weeks ago, Tommy was Indonesia’s most wanted fugitive.

Tommy, who was once so wealthy he bought the Lamborghini car company, was convicted last year of pocketing $11 million in government funds.

He was supposed to turn himself in to begin serving a prison sentence but instead went on the run. Police mounted a massive manhunt--even searching Suharto’s bedroom while the ailing former president slept--but couldn’t find him. Some suspect that Suharto family friends in the military helped Tommy avoid arrest.

While Tommy was a fugitive, the high court judge most responsible for sentencing him to prison was shot by motorcycle gunmen on his way to court. Two men arrested in the killing told police that Tommy had paid them $10,000 to carry it out. Soon after, a different high court panel threw out Tommy’s graft conviction.

Tommy was arrested Nov. 28 at a house in south Jakarta while apparently taking an afternoon nap. Uncharacteristically, his legion of bodyguards was absent. Some say the arrest was too easy. His attorneys say Tommy surrendered.

After his arrest, he was taken to the police station without handcuffs, and when he arrived the police chief gave him a hug. The two sat down together with reporters and held an impromptu news conference. Later, some complained that Tommy was getting special treatment in jail.

During the weekend, his father fell ill with a cold and fever diagnosed as pneumonia. Doctors said Tuesday that he was in critical condition.

“He is still conscious. He can still communicate,” Dr. Kunindro Dadi, a member of the presidential medical team, told reporters. “What we are facing at the moment is organ dysfunction.”

Police had said they would take Tommy to see his father if the former leader’s condition was critical.

A hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday evening that Suharto was improving and that he was not being kept in the intensive care unit. In a country where many millions of people go without proper medical care, a team of 33 doctors is handling Suharto’s case.

The former general, who stepped down as president in 1998 in the face of violent protests, has been in ill health for months. In June, he collapsed and had a pacemaker installed. Before that, his doctors said, he suffered a series of strokes.

“In his brain, there was damage that is permanent,” Kunindro said.

Tommy arrived at the hospital looking relaxed and smiled at reporters. He was wearing a blue polo shirt--not prison clothes. This time, however, he was handcuffed to a police officer. Five vanloads of police accompanied him to the hospital, and as many as 200 officers were on the scene.

Tommy stayed for an hour, visiting his wife, his 3-year-old son and at least one sister in addition to his father before returning to jail.

One of Tommy’s lawyers, Elza Syarif, said Suharto hadn’t seen his son for more than a year.

“I think Suharto is very happy since his longing for his son has been fulfilled,” she said in a radio interview. “He looked very happy, and hopefully this happiness could help him recover soon.”