Editing Fall of Suharto (section)

=== Resignation of Suharto ===
{{multiple image|border=border|total_width=300|image_style=border:1;|perrow=1/1/1|image1=Suharto resigns.jpg|caption1=President Suharto resigning from office. On his left, in the foreground, wearing a robe, is Chief Justice [[Sarwata]], and on his right, in the foreground, is Vice President [[B. J. Habibie]]|image2=Habibie presidential oath.jpg|caption2=B. J. Habibie inaugurated as president}}

Following the riots, on 18 May, Suharto loyalists and speaker of the [[People's Representative Council]] [[Harmoko]] called for Suharto to step down from the presidency within five days,  at a press conference. This was a great surprise to many, including to Suharto himself, and other loyalists of Suharto. Suharto himself saw Harmoko's request as a betrayal and loyalists referred to Harmoko as "Brutus", a reference to the Roman Senator [[Marcus Junius Brutus]], who killed his great-uncle [[Julius Caesar]].{{sfn|Ricklefs|2008| p = 407}} Meanwhile, [[Amien Rais]], leader of the Islamic organisation [[Muhammadiyah]], declared he would organize a demonstration of a million supporters to call for Suharto's resignation. This was planned for 20 May, celebrated as Indonesia's [[National Awakening Day|National Awakening]]. On the evening of 18 May, influential Muslim intellectual [[Nurcholish Madjid]], who had held various meetings with generals and civilians, met with Suharto. The meeting ended with Suharto telling Nurcholish of his intention to resign "as soon as possible" following a meeting with Muslim leaders. This two-hour meeting took place on the morning of 19 May. Afterwards, Suharto announced to the nation that he would reshuffle the cabinet and set up a reform committee to plan new elections.{{sfn|Schwarz|1999| pp = 620–626}}{{sfn|Ricklefs| 2008| p = 523}}

Following a warning from a Prabowo ally of possible bloodshed, Amien Rais called off the demonstration. On 20 May, there was a "massive show of force" from the military, with soldiers and armored vehicles on the streets of Jakarta. Prabowo wanted a robust response to the demonstrators, but Wiranto realized that the Suharto era was coming to an end and was more receptive to the students' demands. According to sources of ''[[The Jakarta Post]]'', Wiranto visited Suharto at home and asked the president to resign. On the same day, some of Suharto's allies refused to serve in a new cabinet. Facing a threat of impeachment from Harmoko, and having received a letter from 14 cabinet members rejecting the formation of a new cabinet, Suharto decided to resign. At 9 a.m. on 21 May, Suharto made a short speech of resignation. He was immediately replaced by Vice President [[B. J. Habibie]].{{sfn|Schwarz|1999| pp = 627–633}}{{sfn|Ricklefs|2008| pp = 523–524}} Allegedly, late on the evening of 21 May, Prabowo arrived at the presidential palace and demanded that he be made head of the army, and that Wiranto be replaced as chief of the armed forces. Reportedly, Habibie escaped from the palace. The following day, Prabowo was sacked as head of Kostrad. Wiranto remained as chief of the armed forces, and his troops began removing the students from the parliament building.{{sfn|Colmey|2001| p = 263}}

==== Transcript ====
<div style="float:left; width:45%;">
{{Blockquote|'''[[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]'''{{sfn|Fitriana|2021}}<br />
Sejak beberapa waktu terakhir, saya mengikuti dengan cermat perkembangan situasi nasional kita, terutama aspirasi rakyat untuk mengadakan reformasi di segala bidang kehidupan berbangsa dan bernegara. Atas dasar pemahaman saya yang mendalam terhadap aspirasi tersebut dan terdorong oleh keyakinan bahwa reformasi perlu dilaksanakan secara tertib, damai, dan konstitusional.}}
</div>
<div style="float:left; width:45%;">
{{Blockquote|'''[[English language|English]]'''{{sfn|''The New York Times''|1998}}<br />
Since the last few years, I have been following closely the developments of our national situation, especially the aspirations of the people to carry out reforms in all areas of the life of the nation and state. On the basis of my deep understanding of these aspirations and driven by the belief that reforms need to be carried out in an orderly, peaceful and constitutional manner.}}
</div>
{{Clear}}
<div style="float:left; width:45%;">
{{Blockquote|Demi terpeliharanya persatuan dan kesatuan bangsa serta kelangsungan pembangunan nasional, saya telah menyatakan rencana pembentukan Komite Reformasi dan mengubah susunan Kabinet Pembangunan VII. Namun demikian, kenyataan hingga hari ini menunjukkan Komite Reformasi tersebut tidak dapat terwujud karena tidak adanya tanggapan yang memadai terhadap rencana pembentukan komite tersebut.}}
</div>
<div style="float:left; width:45%;">
{{Blockquote|For the sake of maintaining the unity and integrity of the nation as well as the continuity of national development, I have stated the plan to form the Reform Committee and amend the composition of the Development VII Cabinet. However, the reality to this day shows that the Reform Committee could not be realized because there was no adequate response to the plan to form the committee.}}
</div>
{{Clear}}
<div style="float:left; width:45%;">
{{Blockquote|Dalam keinginan untuk melaksanakan reformasi dengan cara sebaik-baiknya tadi, saya menilai bahwa dengan tidak dapat diwujudkannya Komite Reformasi, maka perubahan susunan Kabinet Pembangunan VII menjadi tidak diperlukan lagi. Dengan memperhatikan keadaan di atas, saya berpendapat sangat sulit bagi saya untuk dapat menjalankan tugas pemerintahan negara dan pembangunan dengan baik. Oleh karena itu, dengan memperhatikan ketentuan Pasal 8 UUD 1945 dan secara sungguh-sungguh memperhatikan pandangan pimpinan DPR dan pimpinan fraksi-fraksi yang ada di dalamnya, saya memutuskan untuk menyatakan berhenti dari jabatan saya sebagai Presiden RI terhitung sejak saya bacakan pernyataan ini pada hari Kamis, 21 Mei 1998.}}
</div>
<div style="float:left; width:45%;">
{{Blockquote|In the desire to carry out reforms in the best possible way, I consider that if the Reform Committee cannot be established, a change in the composition of the Development VII Cabinet is no longer necessary. Taking into account the situation above, I think it is very difficult for me to be able to carry out the duties of state government and development properly. Therefore, taking into account the provisions of Article 8 of the 1945 Constitution and seriously paying attention to the views of the leadership of the [[House of Representatives (Indonesia)|House of Representatives]] (DPR) and the parliamentary group leaders in it, I have decided to declare my resignation from my position as President of the Republic of Indonesia as of the time I read this statement on Thursday, 21 May 1998.}}
</div>
{{Clear}}