Around 100 activists gathered on Thursday in Jakarta to protest a government plan to grant late authoritarian leader Suharto the status of national hero, reflecting broader concerns about historical revisionism in Indonesia. The country’s social and culture ministries have nominated Suharto along with 48 other figures to President Prabowo Subianto for the annual honor, which is traditionally bestowed on November 10 to individuals deemed to have made significant contributions to the nation, Reuters reported.
Suharto ruled Indonesia for 32 years under his military-backed “New Order,” before stepping down amid an economic crisis, mass protests, and deadly riots in 1998. Critics of the proposed honor argue that bestowing it on him would ignore his alleged human rights violations and widespread corruption. Protesters near the presidential palace carried signs reading, “Stop the Whitewashing of the General of Butchery” and “Thousands Died But The Country Chose to Forget.”
The demonstration included rights organizations such as Amnesty International Indonesia and the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS). Virdinda La Ode Ahmad from KontraS said, “If he deserves to be a hero, why did he step down and why did the New Order have to be overthrown?” Several groups also sent letters to Culture Minister Fadli Zon and President Prabowo opposing the plan. Fadli defended the nominations, stating that public input was part of the process and that all candidates met the required criteria.
Historians and activists note that at least 500,000 people were killed from late 1965 after Suharto rose to power following a failed communist coup, during his tenure as a key military commander. Other nominees for the national hero title this year include former president Abdurrahman Wahid and labor activist Marsinah, who was kidnapped and murdered under Suharto’s regime. The debate over Suharto’s recognition underscores ongoing tensions in Indonesia over how the nation confronts its authoritarian past.
