Jakarta – A number of historians and civil society groups have criticised the proposal that the late 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, be awarded the title of national hero.
University of Gaja Mada (UGM) historian Sri Margana said that a national hero, according to the legal definition, must not have any moral or political defects during their life. According to Margana, this is not the first time that the name of the New Order (Orba) ruler has been proposed as a national hero, and it was rejected for that reason.
"This isn't the first time Suharto has been nominated, he's been nominated several times and rejected by the titles council before, one of the reasons being his moral failings", Margana said when contacted on Monday October 27.
"It would be odd if someone were to receive the title of hero while simultaneously being considered the leader of a regime that committed gross human rights violations", she added.
Margana said stated that in 2023, the state through the seventh President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), acknowledged 12 past gross human rights violations. Most of these cases occurred during the New Order era under former president Suharto.
"Including Marsinah [a female labour activist murdered by the military in 1993], who will also be nominated as a national hero, that happened during the Suharto's regime, a gross human rights violation. So, if we return to the existing legal requirements, he actually doesn't deserve to be a national hero", she said.
She hopes that the Titles, Service and Honorary Medals Board (GTK) will consider the proposal carefully.
"I myself am among those who disagree with Suharto being made a national hero because of that issue. Perhaps if Suharto had fulfilled the other administrative requirements such as contributing to the fight against colonialism, all those administrative requirements, but a national hero must be consistent from the beginning until his death, never committing reprehensible acts", she said.
Historian Andi Achdian said that some of the arguments used in the proposal were that Suharto played a major role in development. He said that Suharto's development relied on debt.
"Suharto rendered a service to Indonesia's development, which is historically problematic. First, he rose to power unconstitutionally. Second, the burden of this development was debt, right. That was debt right, and the [economic] collapse in '98 has been proven to be because we were heavily in debt, and our country entered a crisis", he said.
Achdian says it should be left it up to the public to judge whether Suharto deserved the title of national hero. "Let the next generation decide if they want to see what kind of leader he was, what kind of hero he was, and whether he was worthy or not", he said.
Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) earlier submitted a list of 40 names of figures proposed to receive the title of national hero to Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, who is also the Chair of the GTK at the Ministry of Culture office in Central Jakarta Tuesday October 21.
Of the 40 names, one of those proposed by Gus Ipul's ministry was Suharto.
Rejection by civil society and '98 activists
The inclusion of Suharto's name among the 40 proposed by the Ministry of Social Affairs has also drew strong criticism from civil society groups, including 1998 activists.
In a statement received last week, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said, "The attempt to make Suharto a national hero is the biggest betrayal of the people's mandate since 1998. If this proposal continues, reformasi could potentially end up in the hands of the Prabowo administration".
"Suharto fell as a result of public protests that gave birth to reformasi. Therefore, awarding Suharto the title of national hero could be seen as the end of reformasi itself", he added referring to the political reform process that began with Suharto's resignation in 1998.
The Civil Society Movement to Bring Suharto to Justice (GEMAS) stated that the Ministry of Social Affairs' proposal to make Suharto a national hero was a disappointing move.
The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), which is part of GEMAS, admitted that the coalition had already seen signs that Suharto's supporters would try to ensure the smooth running of the plan to award the title of national hero.
When contacted on Tuesday, Kontras Coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya Saputra mentioned efforts by GEMAS to ensure that Suharto's name is not be proposed as a national hero. GEMAS, he said, had sent an open letter signed by more than 100 institutions and individuals to the Ministry of Social Affairs rejecting the nomination.
Meanwhile 98 Student and People's Committee for Democracy (KOMRAD 98) spokesperson Asep Nurdin declared their firm rejection to the proposal. He believes that the proposal to give Suharto the title of hero is an action that violates common sense and is a distortion of national history.
"Suharto was overthrown by the great spirit of reformasi which shed a great deal of blood and tears, and claimed tens, hundreds and even millions of lives according to research from the period before he came to power until the end of his reign. Awarding him the title of hero is a form of betrayal of the struggle for reformasi and a distortion of history", Nurdin stressed in a statement last week.
Nurdin added that the nation's failure to address gross human rights violations and corruption during the New Order era cannot be separated from the national culture of forgetting history. He believes that the awarding of the title of hero to Suharto is a sign of the fading spirit of reformasi.
Response of Suharto's family
Meanwhile, one of the late Suharto's daughters, Siti Hediati Hariyadi or Titiek Suharto, welcomed the plan to award the title of national hero to her father. Hariyadi, who is also the chairperson of House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission IV, expressed her gratitude and thanks regarding the plan.
"Praise be to Allah. Thank you, if it is realised thank you, Praise be to Allah", said Hariyadi after attending the release of protected turtles at Saba Beach in Gianyar regency, Bali, on Monday afternoon October 27.
Then, regarding the hopes that that there is a plan to award the title of national hero to Suharto, she answered briefly saying that she is hoping for the best, "[I'm] hoping for the best", she said. (yoa/kdf/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Sejarawan Kritik Usul Soeharto Jadi Pahlawan Nasional".]
