My uncle, Sukanto Tanoto and my aunt, Tinah Bingei described themselves as two very superstitious persons. People from Fujian in general have their own beliefs, just like how I have my own, and Americans have their own.
However, superstition becomes his sword toward his enemies.
He thinks superstition is the final kill, he believes that it will give people the biggest pain because it does not require any scientific explanation. According to my uncle, there is a mysterious fortune teller who would always made up many excuses for him to hurt other people.
Perhaps they needed an excuse to justify their actions toward my family. Perhaps they chose my mom, because she was a woman, and because they’d probably get away with it.
It began after my mother refused to sign the ridiculous documents he sent after my father passed away. My uncle, Sukanto started to spread rumors around the community and stereotype my mother as a woman who is born with bad luck that caused her husband’s death. His theory is that the mole on my mother’s face caused the plane my father board to crash. I studied quite hard at school about the cause and effect relationship. Although it is hard to carry out an experiment to prove his theory, it is even harder for me to find a correlation between moles on passengers’ spouses’ faces and the probability of the plane crashing.
Though shocking for any normal minded person, my uncle believes this would change people’s perspective toward my mother, from a victim to somebody deserved to serve the punishment, and nobody should sympathize her.
My aunt, Tinah Bingei even asked my mother to apologize to my uncle and kneel down before her for causing my father’s death when my mother approached her for help.
In many occasions, Sukanto would tell me and my siblings the same theory over and over again, how my father’s death is linked to my mother’s appearance and her bad fate. It’s like he wanted to make sure we acknowledged his words that my mother is responsible for my father’s death and we are punished because of her sin.
Everyday, I look at my mother, who has the kindest soul and prettiest spirit in the world, I always think that I should have stood up for her at that time.
Finally, I realize I have to tell the story.
Bad luck is only an excuse. My mother is depicted as a woman with bad luck so that Sukanto can legitimately grab my father’s assets and abuse my family. The phrase, bad luck, is used to punish my mother for not complying with everything he asked for.
In a situation like that, his words became the best weapons. Pushing a widow who just tragically lost her husband into a devastating state- to blame herself.
Comforting words became a luxury to her.
Even today, there are people that would still come to me and said the same thing about my mother. But their supporting reason is the same theory they heard from Sukanto. Now, whenever I hear someones saying that, I always try my best not to look at them like they are retards.
When I went through the family photos, I realized there is a mole on Anderson’s face.
We don’t mind.
Nobody minds.
But I wonder how his father is going to make a big deal of his son’s mole.
Please sign the petition if you disagree with what Sukanto did :
“Even today, there are people that would still come to me and said the same thing about my mother” What do you mean by this?
You mean there are still people harassing you by using this ridiculous statement? Is this true?!
Stay strong, Wendy! I’m sure he will pay for his price and your family will get justice one day. By going public and reminding the world of his crimes, people will be more careful and others will begin to ask questions.
I will boycott PaperOne office paper and urge everyone to do so from today.
As a woman, I strongly condemn these kind of practices that did not treat women with respects. No one, regardless of their hometown, religion or culture would agree of Sukanto’s comments to your mother. The best we could do to the family of an air crash passenger is to give them the best support we can.
I don’t give a damn sh*t to Sukanto’s comment but it’s important that you tell the story.