Indonesian Gold (8 page)

After the Hughes Corporation had overseen the launch of
Indonesia's first series of satellites under the
Palapa Program
, Subroto became concerned
with his future again, as contemporaries exited the armed forces en masse, many achieving
civilian posts within the Suharto Cabinet, or appointments as governors, ambassadors and CEOs of
Palace-controlled and TNI foundations.

Subroto had followed, apprehensively, as retiring air
force generals were not in such great demand amongst the private sector. His one-off, lump sum
pension payment was insufficient to maintain any reasonable norm of lifestyle, and certainly not
one he had grown accustomed to whilst still a serving general. Consequently, he had turned to
Kosgoro
, one of the military-controlled cooperatives for a position, and was appointed as
one of the many
Komisaris
advisors, to the Board of Directors. However, when (Danny)
Dewanto Danusubroto, the
Kosgoro President Komisaris
was jailed for having the military
murder his mistress not months after Subroto had joined the organization, Subroto wisely chose to
move out on his own, where he met Eric Baird – and his fortunes instantly improved.

At first, their relationship had grown from strength to
strength, Baird instrumental in delivering a number of substantial retainers that provided the
former air force general with the wherewithal to reestablish his credentials. Within the year,
Subroto had acquired a fully imported 450 Mercedes saloon (smuggled into the country by a Chinese
expedition agent) and paid a nominal sum through the Veterans' Association, to secure ownership
of a Dutch Colonial home in Jalan Serang, Menteng. He renovated the residence and contracted the
magnificent dwelling to one of his foreign clients, receiving a five-year, advance rental payment
of three hundred thousand dollars, which he invested in property around the growing, expatriate
suburbs of Kemang and Cilandak. But, influenced by Baird and his associate Kremenchug, Subroto
had lunged into the stock market prior to the Independence celebrations on 17th August 1987,
borrowing heavily to acquire mining stocks which Kremenchug claimed would double within the year.
The following week, the markets peaked, and eight weeks later Subroto discovered that he had lost
all that he had borrowed from the Asian Pacific Commercial Bank.

With cap in hand, he had approached the powerful Salima
Family who maintained controlling interest in the APC Bank, and requested a two-year grace period
before recommencing loan repayments. He was introduced to James Salima, the effective CEO of APC,
and a deal was struck. Unbeknown to Eric Baird, his forty percent share in P. T. Subroto &
Associates (which his sponsor had previously been held in trust) was surrendered to the wealthy
Chinese,
cukong
family, and Subroto's debt was forgiven.

Although his borrowings greatly exceeded the value of
Baird's stock in the company, the Salima group made it quite clear that Sub-roto could be called
upon, at any time, to assist their family should the need arise. Subroto blamed his predicament
on Kremenchug and would have arranged for the man's visa to be cancelled had Baird not appealed,
arguing that they were close to closing a deal which would recover all their losses. Against his
better judgment, Subroto had agreed, now pleased that he had done so as Baird's advice of that
day seemed to support this decision.

Now, the only outstanding issue was having Eric Baird
marry Pipi, which would not only satisfy his favorite niece, but would keep her mother off his
back. With the Australian married into the family, the question of Baird's shareholding in P.T.
Subroto & Associates could be easily addressed. When the question arose, as he expected it
would, Subroto would explain that Baird's stock was then held in trust for his wife, Pipi,
and
who could argue with that
?

Subroto knew that there had been no offspring from Baird's
former marriage, suspecting that neither would there be from his union with Pipi. This in no way
offended the retired General – in fact, having the foreigner marry his sister's daughter and not
produce children resolved another family dilemma. Genetics had not been kind to Pipi's father's
line; the incidence of Albino children running through that side of the family unusually high.
All in all, Subroto thought, having Baird involved in business and the family, could only be a
positive factor for all.

****

As Baird lay quietly contemplating his disastrous state of
affairs, he recalled not having explained to Subroto that their stock in the new Canadian mining
company would be held in escrow.

****

In the months that followed, the Borneo Gold Corporation
(BGC) was launched in Canada, the shares rising meteorically as public relations' rhetoric
grossly exaggerated results from work carried out around the Palangkaraya concession. Air Vice
Marshal (retired) Sub-roto, Kremenchug and Baird all waited with great expectations as their
stock in BGC rose to more than double their par value then hovered, filling their futures with
promise. When drilling of the Palangkaraya leases failed to produce the predicted results, the
company moved operations further afield to the East Kalimantan areas. There, independent
geologists oversaw a costly drilling program designed to substantiate earlier claims that the BGC
acreage was amongst the most promising gold fields in Indonesia. The results proved otherwise,
and before the first year of operations had come to a close and the Baird-Kremenchug-Subroto
stockholders could offload their stock, Borneo Gold Corporation all but collapsed.

****

December 1990

Jonathan Dau watched silently, observing the young child's
fascination with the spider's clever weaving, the web drifting occasionally with the wind, as an
insect struggled to escape the gossamer trap. The child raised a long, thin stalk, intent on
teasing the captured prey and prodded the tiny grasshopper several times; annoyed when it failed
to move. She then turned her attention to a column of ants, creating chaos within their ranks as
she twirled the stalk amongst fallen leaves. She quickly lost interest with this game when a
giant butterfly winged its way past in majestic fashion and settled, just out of reach. She rose
slowly, enraptured by the
kupu-kupu's
magnificence, the soft-beating wings casting their
mesmerizing spell over the child and she cried out in delight, calling for anyone who might hear,
to come and see.

Away from the forest's edge, villagers toiled in dry
fields, tilling the
ladang
in preparation for the rice seedlings. While younger children
played, their older siblings, bent to the knee, assisted parents with the arduous task of turning
soil and removing weed as the elderly looked on, reminiscing of more youthful times.

The child called again, startled when Jonathan Dau swept
her off her feet and playfully tossed her into the air. She shrieked with surprise then, as the
chief caught her midair, giggled with glee. Jonathan smothered her playfully, pretending to crush
her to his powerful chest, gradually releasing his hold permitting the child to slip gently to
the ground. Not wishing an end to the game, she refused to let go, winding her arms and legs
around his ankles as a monkey would a pole. With strong, but loving hands, Jonathan tugged her
loose, lifting her once again into the air, placing her astride his shoulders. The girl wrapped
her arms around his head, her world from upon this perch reaching out and across the fields from
where she had strayed. Jonathan's graceful strides returned the child to her grateful mother, the
unspoken words of gratitude delivered with a fleeting smile. No sooner had the girl been reunited
with the group, she was off and running again with the other children, in pursuit of an overly
inquisitive chicken that had strayed into their midst. Jonathan stepped back allowing the
children room to run past, encouraging the lagging child as she ran breathless in her attempt to
keep up with the others. Satisfied that the girl might now remain within safer confines the
shaman returned to the Longhouse to attend to matters that required his attention as
village-head.

****

Nestled amongst towering coconut palms, overlooking one of
the many tributaries that flowed into the Mahakam, Jonathan's
Aoheng-Penehing
community
setting had not changed greatly since he was a child. Apart from the three-meter, parabolic dish
mounted like some great saucer atop the water tower, and the cables running from the recently
constructed generator block, the village remained much the same as it was when his
great-grandfather had hunted clouded leopard along
Bukit Batubrok's
slopes.

Jonathan's forefathers had migrated in nomadic fashion,
down from the mountainous northwest, Kayan River headwaters more than two hundred years before.
These
Kayan
tribes, which included the
Bahau,
the
Modang
, the
Long
Gelat
and
Busang,
had left the
Apokayan,
invading the upper Mahakam, displacing
and, in some cases enslaving the original inhabitants, the
Ot Danum
and
Tunjung
people. A century of headhunting raids throughout Borneo's east left a legacy of lingering
hostility, the surviving ethnic groups never hesitant in declaring their loathing for each other,
at any given opportunity.

Jonathan had been more fortunate than most. Born in the
year the Japanese invaded Balikpapan, three hundred kilometers to the east, he was to be seven
years of age before sighting another being that was not of Dayak blood.

****

Although it may have been considered unusual for a
hereditary chief to simultaneously hold the highly respected position of chief
and
that of
the spiritual
dukun,
commencing with Jonathan's great-grandfather, the powers for both had
been passed unbroken, from father to son. Even as a young child, Jonathan's unique talents had
become apparent, the special gift he had inherited being first manifested whilst he was still a
child, and for all who witnessed the event, confirmation that Jonathan Dau was, indeed, a blessed
phenomenon.

The incident had occurred when the villagers were
fare-welling a young woman who had died during childbirth. In his role as
dukun,
or
shaman, Jonathan's father was not only the village healer and its priest, but also the psycho
pomp responsible for the long and skillful prayers offered to accompany the deceased's soul on
its journey to the ‘other' world. The village girl's body had been prepared for burial, and
final, protracted prayers were being offered when Jonathan approached the corpse, reached up and
touched her lifeless body. Then he fell into a trancelike state, reciting the entire prayer
sequence all over again, verbatim.

At that time, Jonathan was just five years of age and had
never been instructed in such verse, nor had he previously attended a funeral. Elders, the
village council and even his family were filled with awe when, suddenly, Jonathan extended his
small hands sky-wards and became still, a loving smile settling across his lips as a black
hornbill swooped down under the thatched shelter and landed, ominously, at the dead girl's feet.
Moments passed, the stunned villagers gripped in awe as Jonathan's hand moved slowly towards the
bird and stroked it ever so gently, before it took flight, carrying, they all believed, the
deceased's soul away. From that moment, Jonathan's father commenced instructing his son in the
ways of the ‘good' or ‘white'
dukun,
revealing the secrets that were passed down to
him.

As the most important function of the ‘white' shaman is
healing, Jonathan remained at his father's side when he ministered to the sick; accompanying his
father into the jungle in search of ingredients required for potions and cures, becoming the
chief's small, but dedicated shadow. He observed, as nature surrendered her secrets during those
excursions and listened, intently, whenever his father explained the magic of each wild herb he'd
gathered, or the medicinal value of specific plants, roots and even wild, river lilies. He
watched his father prepare salves, cast spells and exorcise the possessed; memorizing the
appropriate chants, whilst remaining obediently solemn, or sitting in awe as his father described
the techniques used by the ‘black' or ‘evil'
dukuns
.

Jonathan Dau learned that it would not be wise to
underestimate the power of the much-sought-after ‘black'
dukuns,
who for a fee, would cast
spells and provide potions mixed with dried, menstrual blood or ear wax for the scorned and
lovelorn, poisons for the covetous and ambitious and curses for any occasion.

****

Jonathan's father had wisely determined that his gifted
and only child would receive an outside education. In 1949 when news that the great
Dayak
nation had been absorbed into what was to be known as the Republic of Indonesia, Jonathan was
transported, first by canoe, then diesel-driven riverboat to the river-port township of Samarinda
where he was placed in the care of a Chinese family. Before the age of ten, Jonathan Dau was
fluent in not only his own dialect, but could converse fluently in Malay-Indonesian and
comprehend most of what transpired within the Chinese household. An avid reader by twelve,
Jonathan excelled at the Catholic missionary-run school, his religious teachers delighted when he
could quote chapter and verse from both Testaments in the
Kitab Suci.