My mother once told me a story from early 1960s, which I always remember.
This happened when President Soekarno and my father, the Central Commitee leader of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) Dipa Nusantara Aidit, was visiting Cuba. There, they met with Fidel Castro, Mao Tje Tung and Che Guevara. As usual, Fidel presented his guests with his finest, the Havana cigar. My father refused politely. As Fidel, Mao, Che dan Soekarno began enjoying their cigars, they started poking fun at my father. “A fighter for the people needs to be able to enjoy a good cigar in their free time,” they said. The four great leaders then continued to demonstrate how manly and charming it was to take pleasure in a good cigar. My Dad was tempted, and drew a cigar. Soekarno could not help sniggering - he exploded and dissolved into laughter. To Mao, Fidel dan Che, he only said, “just wait and see, this will be funny.” As though responding to Soekarno's remark, Dad went into a coughing fit right after his first inhale. Mao, Fidel and Che laughed together with Soekarno, while continuing to mock my father. Finally, dad gave up. With his face reddened, he put down the freshly lit cigar into an ashtray. Soekarno knew my father very well, he knew that my father never smoked even a single stick of cigarette. Let alone a cigar! When he got home, Dad told mum about this. Mum told him, “Oh well, maybe it is time you start enjoying a good cigar like they do.” So, several days later, while winding down at night, my dad asked mum where she kept the box of cigars that Fidel gave as a souvenir. Mum smiled knowingly. This was the night that her husband, Dipa Nusantara Aidit, the leader of the central committee of PKI, the biggest communist party in the world, will start learning to enjoy a good cigar. Father started to lit his cigar. But as always, again he got into a coughing fit. This time, it was mum who exploded in laughter. She could understand then how those communist leaders must have seen dad: exactly how she saw how hopeless dad was at enjoying a cigar. Ilham Aidit #1965setiaphari #living1965 Photographs: by Agan Harahap (left), and collection of Ilham Aidit (right).
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