Suharto leaves legacy of stability in region

By Bill Tarrant

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - As Indonesia's former autocratic president Suharto lay gasping for life this month, authoritarian figures from neighbouring countries hurried to his bedside to whisper words of encouragement.

Mahathir Mohamad, the 82-year-old former prime minister of Malaysia whose time in office overlapped Suharto's for nearly two decades, visited on January 14, as did the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, 61.

A day earlier, Singapore's founding father and first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, 84, was at Suharto's bedside.

Suharto's death, which came on Sunday, marks the passing of an era in Southeast Asia.

Suharto, Mahathir and Lee were in power when countries in the region were growing so strongly they were being touted by the World Bank as the "East Asia Miracle", an achievement in which individual liberty took a back seat to economic development.

They can thank Suharto, 86, for being instrumental in bringing the stability that allowed the region to grow.

"Why are all these old guys rushing to his bedside? He brought stability to Indonesia and he brought stability to the neighbourhood and that's something for which they are very thankful," Michael Vatikiotis, author of "Indonesian Politics Under Suharto", said before the strongman's death.

"And it's unquestioned he brought that stability. You can argue the corruption and repression, but you can't argue about that," Vatikiotis said.