Perhaps he was reflecting on his old friend and contemporary,
Suharto.
Singapore's Lee sees Suharto in hospital
Reuters
Sunday, January 13, 2008; 12:42 AM
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's former president Suharto, who
suffered multiple organ failure on Friday and is on a ventilator,
was visited by his friend and contemporary, Singapore's Minister
Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, on Sunday morning.
Suharto, who ruled the country for more than three decades, was
either sleeping or unconscious when Lee entered his room, according
to former state secretary Moerdiono, who was also at Suharto's
bedside.
Moerdiono told reporters afterward that Lee, accompanied by
Suharto's three daughters, went up to the 86-year-old former
general to touch him.
Lee, 84, flew in from Singapore especially to see the Suharto, but
left the hospital without talking to reporters. He is due to give a
news conference later on Sunday.
While relations between neighboring Singapore and Indonesia have
often been difficult over the years, Lee Kuan Yew and Suharto
maintained close relations.
In his autobiography, Lee described Suharto, who was forced to step
down in 1998 in the face of a student-led uprising, as "a quiet
man, courteous and punctilious on form and protocol."
"He is not an intellectual, but he has the ability to select able
economists and administrators to be his ministers" Lee wrote in his
autobiography.
Lee appears to be the first foreign dignitary to visit Suharto in
hospital.
Family members have gathered there as Suharto's health deteriorated
during the week, while a "who's who" of Indonesian society,
including relatives, various government ministers, businessmen,
religious leaders and military men, have flocked to his bedside to
pay their respects.
Suharto was taken to Pertamina hospital on January 4 suffering from
anemia and low blood pressure due to heart, lung and kidney
problems. His health worsened on Friday and he was put on a
ventilator.
Suharto came to power after an abortive coup on September 30, 1965
that was officially blamed on the communist party. Up to 500,000
people were killed in anti-communist purges in the months that
followed.
After Suharto quit office, he was charged with embezzling hundreds
of millions of dollars of state funds, but the government later
dropped the case due to his poor health.
He and his family deny any wrongdoing.
(Writing by Sara Webb; Editing by Jerry Norton)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/12/AR2008011200326.html
