When he took power, half the country was unable to eat enough everyday. Literacy and life expectancy have both surged during Suharto's rule. The grand political bargain For the sake of these economic gains, Indonesians let him establish an authoritarian political system in which he is virtually the only player. In some ways, this system conforms with the Javanese notion of power and Suharto seems to rule accordingly. He seeks advice broadly, but keeps his own counsel.
Scholars point out that Javanese kings simply have power.
They do not share it. Bargain with the West Internationally, the calculus of support was geopolitical. Suharto was and is anti-communist, which suited Western nations during the cold war. In more recent years, he has won international approval by at least showing some improvement in human rights, although his decision to occupy the former Portuguese colony of East Timor in 1975 has drawn widespread censure, as have other Indonesian violations of civil and political liberties. The government has banned protests during the reelection process of President Suharto.