Indonesian Gold (7 page)

Years before, Baird had taken the path so many of his
fellow expatriates had chosen, establishing an Indonesian nominee company to provide legitimacy
to their presence. Now, as others had discovered, there was a price to pay.

‘
You are right, Pak
,' Baird deferred to the
white-haired Air Vice Marshal, ‘
as soon as this contract is finished, I will not accept any
more work from him
.'

‘
It would be better for all of us
,' Subroto
advised. ‘
The government is only interested in those who are serious about investing in
Indonesia – and your friend does not fall into that description. He makes money from us without
producing results for our people
.' He looked over expensive bifocals that had slipped down
his near bridgeless-nose. ‘
And, I know for a fact that Immigrasi has been keeping a close eye
on his activities here
.'

The mere suggestion that Immigration was monitoring
Kremenchug twisted the knot in Baird's stomach even more, the inevitable panic attack sending his
hands searching for an inhaler.

‘
Why are the authorities so interested in
Alex
?'

The General deflected the question. ‘
Because of your
association, they could have you under surveillance, as well
,' Subroto suggested, ‘
and
that makes me unhappy, Eric. I shouldn't have to remind you that whatever you do, whom you
associate with, all reflects on me. When I first joined AURI…
'

Baird remained standing, as Subroto launched into one of
his all-too-familiar harangues that would, predictably, revisit most of the Air Force General's
career, reminding himself that this was a small price to pay for the revered, Javanese officer's
sponsorship.

****

Baird had come to understand that Subroto's early career
had been tied, indirectly, to that of the country's president. In 1962, when Indonesia waged war
over the Netherlands' last remaining outpost in Asia, West Papua, Subroto was there, serving
under the
Mandela
Campaign commander, Suharto. It was a bittersweet time for the young
General Suharto who had returned to the field, having been banished by the former C-in-C, General
Nasution, accused of smuggling activities with the Chinese
cukong
, Lim Sioe Liong. At that
time, Lieutenant Colonel Subroto and his fellow pilots had played a central role in the campaign,
flying missions in their Soviet-supplied Tu-2, and Il-28 light, tactical bombers. Subroto had
been more fortunate than many of his comrades during this confrontation, as the Dutch accounted
for many of the inexperienced pilots during aerial engagements. Nevertheless, President Soekarno
had heaped praises and medals upon all involved, when the future province fell to the
Indonesians. And, as Subroto's name was linked with Suharto's with respect to the outcome, the
AURI General was spared during the ignominious period that followed the coups of 1965, when the
Indonesian Air Force was cleansed of its communist elements.

The AVM's star had then remained in limbo up until the
AURI 1985 reorganization, when a large number of the country's senior ranking officers were
either made redundant, or encouraged to enter Parliament, where the military maintained a
controlling block of seats. Subroto had elected to move into private enterprise and was placed on
the semi-retirement list, along with some fifty others of general rank, to assist with their
transition from military to civilian roles.

It was because of Subroto's close links with the
Indonesian Ministry of Mines, that Baird first approached the retired officer seeking
sponsorship. That, and the fact Subroto had worked closely with the Australians during the early
Seventies, when the RAAF gave AURI a squadron of Sabres to assist rehabilitate operational
air-defence training. When Subroto learned that Baird had the capacity to introduce foreign
mining companies, the Air Vice Marshal agreed to provide legitimate shelter for the geologist's
activities.

At first, their arrangement had prospered. Baird, true to
his word, succeeded in introducing a number of mining investment opportunities to Subroto who, in
return, showed his gratitude by accepting the geologist into his family circle. But, when Baird's
reputation had later been sullied over his dealings with Kremenchug, their relationship had
slowly deteriorated, further exacerbated by Subroto's discovery of Baird's deviate sexual
preferences which, in turn, led to Mardidi being removed from the office staff, and the
appearance of Subroto's niece, Pipi Suhartono.

****

Baird remained politely interested, relieved that Subroto
was nearing the end of his often-repeated tale.

‘And, when the Sabre flew over the rich rice paddies in
Central Java, the pilot experienced a flameout, and ejected.'

Although Baird had heard this story before, he was always
at odds as how best to respond to what happened next. As usual, he decided to appear quietly
introspective.

‘
Who would not believe in ‘adjal
', Eric?' the
General asked, rhetorically, referring to the belief that all death is predestined. ‘
A simple
farmer, tilling the soil, who has most likely never strayed more than a few kilometers from his
village and land since birth, suddenly hears the rush of wind and looks up and, in that moment,
is killed by this strange object falling from the heavens
.'

It was normally at this point in the telling, that Baird
would put on his serious face, feigning interest. ‘
To die from old age or even disease is one
thing. But, to be killed by

an ejection seat when one has never even seen an
aeroplane, surely must demonstrate that Allah planned for this to happen?
'

This, Baird knew, was his signal to nod his acceptance.
‘
It would certainly seem that way, Pak
.'

‘
Yes, that is precisely my point!
'

Baird was surprised by Subroto's deviation from previous
closings.

‘
If someone dropped something on you, Eric
,' the
Javanese's eyes danced mischievously, ‘
then we would be obliged to accept that such a mishap
was, undoubtedly, by Allah's design
.'

Eric Baird experienced a familiar, sinking sensation in
his stomach. During his years living in this country, he had learned that opinions were regularly
offered, disguised in the most oblique forms. Javanese disliked confrontation – and, even when
addressing foreigners, rarely came directly to the point. However, Baird clearly understood the
underlying threat Subroto had made.

‘
Pak ‘Broto
,' he opened, reverently, ‘
this time,
Kremenchug has agreed to give us shares in the Kalimantan venture.
'

‘
You cannot trust this man
,' Subroto replied,
obstinately.

Baird quickly calculated the value of his quarter of a
million dollars in stock. ‘
We will be given almost half a billion Rupiah worth of stocks in
the Canadian company
.'

Subroto removed his glasses, looked directly into Baird's
eyes, and started tapping the desk with a ball pen. The US dollar equivalent was around two
hundred thousand, the sum far more meaningful in light of recent losses. After some moments of
deliberation, he reached across and, waving the pen in the air, asked, ‘
When?
'

Baird was swept with relief. ‘
Within the next months,
Pak
.'

‘
You will keep my share in your name
,' Subroto
ordered, ‘
I don't want any dealings with Kremenchug directly. Is that clear
?'

That his sponsor had failed to thank him for the generous
gift was of no consequence to Baird. Subroto could now be counted upon to support the Canadian
venture, whenever obstacles appeared, as Baird knew they inevitably would. The mining industry
had become an investment nightmare for the unsuspecting investor, the bureaucratic quagmire
deliberately created by officialdom, a means for extracting payments from foreign
participants.

‘
I'll make the necessary arrangements, Pak
,' Baird
promised.

Subroto's face turned friendly. ‘
Speaking of
arrangements, Eric, how are things progressing between you and my niece?
'

Baird visibly trembled at the mention of Pipi Suhartono,
unable to control his discomfort as he looked towards the closed door for escape.

‘
I have been very busy with Kremenchug
,' he
explained.

‘
You shouldn't neglect her
,' Subroto's face
suddenly became serious. ‘
Pipi is very fond of you, Eric, and you are fortunate to have a
woman of her quality and education as a companion
.'

Baird felt his blood begin to freeze. Several months had
transpired since Pipi had been introduced to him and, since that first meeting, Subroto had
insisted that Baird accompany his niece to a number of formal functions, the most recent, a
family wedding. Subroto's intentions were frighteningly clear to Baird, his dilemma, how to avoid
involvement with Pipi without offending his sponsor. At Subroto's insistence, he had escorted
Pipi to the movies once, and attended an outing to the Bogor gardens with members of her
immediate family. Stunned when he discovered that it was assumed they were to become engaged,
Baird had seriously considered leaving the country altogether, and had remained only because of
Mardidi's ineligibility to obtain a visa for Australia. ‘
Pak ‘Broto
,' Baird's hands were
clasped in anxiety, ‘
I have the greatest respect for Pipi, but I am not ready for another
commitment just yet.
'

Subroto's eyes narrowed considerably. ‘
Are you still
involved with that banci?
'

Baird's stomach squeezed with the word. ‘
Mardidi is not
a banci, Pak
.'

‘
I am very disappointed, Eric
,' Subroto's voice
dropped so staff eavesdropping could not hear. ‘
I thought I'd made it quite clear how I felt
about that relationship?
'

Bereft of an answer, Baird's shoulders slumped, and he
looked down at his feet, submissively.

‘
He is just my very good friend, Pak
,' he said,
knowing that he was on dangerous ground.

‘
Is he the reason you don't like Pipi?
' Subroto
challenged.

‘No!' Baird worried where this was leading. ‘
I really
do have deep feelings for Pipi, Pak, but I don't want to take on any additional responsibilities
until I know that I can handle these, financially
.' A wave of nausea threatened, and again
Baird looked to the door for escape.

Subroto accepted the compromise. ‘
Then don't leave it
too long, Eric
,' he admonished, ‘
ladies like Pipi don't grow on trees!
'

‘
I know, Pak, I know
.' Baird then mumbled something
as he rubbed his stomach and grimaced, apologizing that he was not feeling well, and fled the
office before Subroto could further advance their conversation.

****

Subroto squeezed into the Mercedes' rear seat and
instructed the driver to take him home. Fine, German engineering groaned underneath as the
vehicle made its way through the congested city, heading south through Kebayoran Baru, through
Kemang, and onwards to Cilandak. In pensive mood, the retired air force General leaned back into
the deeply indented, leather seat and closed his eyes, pondering the import of Baird's future
involvement in terms of their consultancy arrangement.

When Baird had first come to him more than five years
before, he had not hesitated in offering the young Australian geologist sponsorship, and the
corporate structure to facilitate his business dealings in Indonesia. Subroto recalled that time
of great excitement and promise, as the New Order, under President Suharto, forged ahead,
dragging the country up to competitive speed with the emerging tiger economies of Singapore and
Malaysia.

In the years following Suharto's 1966 successful coup,
Subroto had watched as many of the four hundred generals appointed under the Soekarno regime were
either retrenched, or shifted to inconsequential positions. Fortunately, at the time of the
bloodbath, he had been seconded to the AURI rocket program that had successfully launched the
Kartika 1
the year before. The Air Force's “
Project Prima
”, Indonesia's rocket
research project had been conceived with the intention of developing commercial and military
rockets together with the Institute of Technology in Bandung, and
P.T. Pindad
, the Army
weapons' factory. Subroto had been instrumental in arranging for the Japanese cooperation which
had seen the
Kappa 8
rocket launched, also in the year preceding the turbulent period,
predicted by one Indonesian Minister as becoming ‘
The Years of Living
Dangerously
.'

Suharto's armed forces had inherited a number of quasi,
commercial structures put more into place out of expediency than sound planning, and dated back
to the time of Soekarno's
Guided Democracy
when regional commanders were forced to find
their own means of funding operations and meeting personnel costs. As each of the Indonesian
military arms vied for control over plantations, government owned hotels, sugar mills, banks,
mining and timber concessions it soon became apparent that, without the necessary capital and
management skills, these ventures would collapse. Even the Army's Strategic Forces,
Kostrad
, which had been awarded the Volkswagen assembly and marketing agency in the early
Sixties, benefited little from this opportunity.