Sukarno and Suharto in 1966. The abbreviation ‘Supersemar’ is also a reference to the character Semar from traditional wayang kulit stories. Officially, Sukarno gave emergency powers to Suharto, which were then approved by the Assembly–but Sukarno was under pressure from military powers and street demonstrations, and by then, the Assembly had been purged of many of Sukarno’s supporters