Indonesia has posthumously named its former president and military strongman Suharto a national hero, a decision that has reignited fierce debate over his authoritarian legacy. The title, awarded on Monday during a ceremony presided over by current President Prabowo Subianto — Suharto’s former son-in-law — was met with anger from pro-democracy activists and families of those who suffered during his 32-year rule. Suharto was forced from office in 1998 following violent protests that brought an end to his regime, which was marred by accusations of mass human rights abuses, corruption, and nepotism.
“A prominent figure from Central Java province, a hero of the struggle for independence, General Suharto stood out since the independence era,” an announcer declared as Prabowo presented the award to Suharto’s daughter and son. The late leader was among ten Indonesians recognized this year for their contributions to the nation, a tradition meant to honor those who have advanced Indonesia’s development since its independence from colonial powers in 1945.
A Reuters reporter at Jakarta’s state palace observed Suharto’s portrait displayed between those of former president Abdurrahman Wahid and slain labor activist Marsinah, who was abducted and killed during Suharto’s rule. The placement of the images sparked outrage among victims’ families. “The government has decided. I cannot… that is not my right. I am only here for Marsinah,” said Marsini, the activist’s sister, when asked about sharing the ceremony with Suharto’s family.
Protests erupted in Jakarta last week as activists condemned what they called an attempt to rewrite history. Among them was Tadius Priyo Utomo, a 47-year-old activist now living in East Timor, who took part in the 1998 student demonstrations that ended Suharto’s rule. “Our past struggles will be disregarded… we are the traitors to the country because we fought Suharto and he is now a hero,” Utomo told Reuters. He traveled from Dili, the capital of East Timor, specifically to protest the decision.
Under Suharto’s command, Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed it shortly afterward, maintaining a repressive military presence until East Timor gained independence following Suharto’s fall. Throughout his presidency, Suharto relied heavily on the military to suppress dissent and maintain control. He faced widespread accusations of corruption, with billions of dollars allegedly funneled to his family and close allies, though he was never tried due to ill health before his death in 2008.
Critics see the move to honor Suharto as a troubling sign of democratic backsliding under President Prabowo, who himself served as a special forces commander during Suharto’s regime and has faced allegations of human rights abuses in East Timor and elsewhere — accusations he denies. “Prabowo can do everything that President Suharto did because he is protected by his heroism,” said Marzuki Darusman, a former attorney general who led a fact-finding team investigating the 1998 riots. He warned that Prabowo has already expanded the military’s role in civilian affairs since taking office last year.
After the ceremony, Suharto’s daughter, Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, expressed gratitude to Prabowo, suggesting that his military background gave him “an understanding of what my father had done.” Meanwhile, analysts have warned that the decision could whitewash the darker chapters of Indonesia’s modern history. Political analyst Kevin O’Rourke, author of Reformasi: The Struggle for Power in Post-Soeharto Indonesia, told Reuters that while such gestures might signal a desire to restore authoritarian control, doing so would not be easy. “It’s quite hard to put democracy back in the box when people are used to it,” he said, noting that roughly half of Indonesia’s population today is too young to remember Suharto’s rule firsthand.
Still, the wounds of that era run deep. Every Thursday for nearly two decades, a group known as Aksi Kamisan has gathered silently outside the presidential palace, dressed in black, to demand justice for victims of Suharto-era abuses. Many still do not know the fate of loved ones who disappeared during his rule.
Officials defended the controversial award, with Culture Minister Fadli Zon insisting that thorough research had been conducted and that Suharto met all eligibility criteria. He dismissed claims about Suharto’s involvement in the mass killings of 1965, saying they were “never proven.” Historians, however, estimate that as many as half a million people were killed during the anti-communist purge that cemented Suharto’s rise to power — a tragedy Indonesia has never formally investigated.
The government’s decision to enshrine Suharto among Indonesia’s national heroes has exposed deep divides over memory, justice, and the meaning of heroism itself — and, as Reuters reports, rekindled fears that the ghosts of the past are once again shaping the country’s future.
