Indonesia's proposal to name late President Suharto a national hero sparks discussion, backlash
But some scholars argue that Suharto – who died in 2008 at the age of 86 – meets the formal requirements to be conferred the title of national hero.
University of Gadjah Mada historian Agus Suwignyo said the former president played a key role in Indonesia's fight for independence, notably by leading the 1949 General Offensive that took back Yogyakarta, and overseeing the 1962 effort to regain control of West Papua.
'Suharto fits the formal criteria, but the full historical context must be considered,' Agus said, as quoted by Jakarta Globe.
Under the Social Affairs Ministerial Regulation No. 15 of 2012 concerning the Proposal for the Conferment of the Title of National Hero, a person who is nominated for the title must fulfil several general and specific requirements. Some criteria that must be fulfilled include making a real contribution as a leader or fighter and never betraying the nation, Tempo reported.
However, historian Agus warned against viewing history in black and white.
'You can't ignore his role in independence, but you also can't ignore controversies, around 1965, " he said, referring to Suharto's rise to power that was marked by the deadly anti-communist purges.
Amid the controversy, Minister of State Secretariat and presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi has also weighed in.
'It is only appropriate for us to show respect to our former presidents. Let's not constantly dwell on their flaws, let's acknowledge their achievements,' he told reporters at the Presidential Palace on Monday, as quoted by Tempo.
On Suharto's corruption, Prasetyo said that there is no perfect leader.
This is not the first time Indonesia has considered naming Suharto a national hero. Since 2010, his name has been regularly seen on the list of national hero nominees from Central Java, the Jakarta Post reported.
Suharto's second daughter Siti Hediati Hariyadi, also known as Titiek Soeharto, has welcomed the proposal this year to confer the title on her late father.
Titiek, who is the former wife of current President Prabowo Subianto, said that the family has never actively lobbied for the title despite the topic frequently surfacing in public discourse around National Heroes Day on Nov 10.
'It comes up every year. Whether or not it happens, he remains a hero (to) us,' she said, as quoted by Jakarta Globe.
She also expressed hope it would finally materialise under Prabowo's administration.
The Social Affairs Ministry has received 10 nominations so far, including late former president Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur.
Individuals who have been conferred the title include Indonesia's first president Sukarno and his vice-president Mohammed Hatta.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Straits Times
US Supreme Court won't review assault weapon, high-capacity magazine bans
FILE PHOTO: A man looks at an AR-15 rife at an exhibition booth during the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., May 18, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge to the legality of state restrictions on assault-style rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines, passing up for now cases that offered the justices a chance to further expand gun rights. The justices turned away two appeals after lower courts upheld a ban in Maryland on powerful semi-automatic rifles such as AR-15s and one in Rhode Island restricting the possession of ammunition feeding devices holding more than 10 rounds. The lower courts rejected arguments that the measures violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms." Three conservative justices, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, dissented from the court's decision not to hear the cases. A fourth, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a statement accompanying the Maryland case expressed sympathy for the argument made by the challengers that semiautomatic AR-15s are in common use by "law-abiding citizens and therefore are protected by the Second Amendment." Kavanaugh said the issue will return to the Supreme Court, which "presumably will address the AR–15 issue soon." In a nation bitterly divided over how to address firearms violence including numerous mass shootings, the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, often has taken an expansive view of the Second Amendment. The court broadened gun rights in landmark rulings in 2008, 2010 and in a 2022 case that made it harder to defend gun restrictions under the Second Amendment, requiring them to be "consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." The challengers in the two cases turned away on Monday by the Supreme Court contended that states and courts are flouting precedents that make clear that the Second Amendment protects weapons that are in "common use." Maryland in 2013 enacted its ban on military-style "assault weapons" such as the AR-15 and AK-47 after a shooter used such a firearm in the 2012 mass killing of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The law carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. A Maryland resident who is seeking to purchase one of the banned guns, as well as three gun rights organizations including the Firearms Policy Coalition, sued in 2020, claiming the ban violates the Second Amendment. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2024 rejected the challenge because it said assault weapons "are military-style weapons designed for sustained combat operations that are ill-suited and disproportionate to the need for self-defense." As such, the "excessively dangerous" firearms are not protected by the Second Amendment, the 4th Circuit decided. The 4th Circuit said it refused "to wield the Constitution to declare that military-style armaments which have become primary instruments of mass killing and terrorist attacks in the United States are beyond the reach of our nation's democratic processes." The plaintiffs told the Supreme Court that the term "assault weapon" is a political term that is designed to exploit public confusion over machine guns and semi-automatic firearms. The banned weapons, they said, are "identical to any other semiautomatic firearm - arms that are exceedingly common and fully protected by the Second Amendment." Rhode Island's law, passed in 2022 as a response to mass shootings, bars most "large-capacity feeding" devices such as a magazine or drum that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The state calls it a "mild restriction on a particularly dangerous weapons accessory" and that in mass shooting situations, "any pause in fire, such as the pause to switch magazines, allows for precious seconds in which to escape or take defensive action." The law applied retroactively, meaning residents had to surrender or alter any banned magazine that they owned, and carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. Four gun owners and a registered firearms dealer sued, claiming the ban violated their Second Amendment rights, and that having to forfeit the magazines they owned violated the Constitution's prohibition on the government taking property without compensation. In 2024 the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the claims and refused to block the law. The Rhode Island plaintiffs told the Supreme Court that instead of abiding by the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling, the state's law "can only be understood as protest legislation imposing more restrictive bans on long-common arms." The Supreme Court has been buffeted in recent years by challenges to gun restrictions. On March 26, the court upheld a regulation targeting largely untraceable "ghost guns" imposed by Democratic former President Joe Biden's administration. The court last year struck down a federal ban on "bump stock" devices that enable semiautomatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
23-05-2025
- CNA
Fiercest outcry yet of Prabowo placing uniformed men in civilian posts, as convicted army general becomes customs chief
JAKARTA: An active military general previously convicted of kidnapping pro-democracy activists was appointed on Friday (May 23) to a key role in Indonesia's Finance Ministry, sparking what observers say is the fiercest criticism yet of President Prabowo Subianto's moves to place senior uniformed personnel in top civilian roles. The swearing-in of Lieutenant General Djaka Budhi Utama as director-general of Indonesia's customs and excise office also heightens fears of a return to the days of Suharto's rule, when the military had far-reaching control over civilian life, the experts also say. Previously a senior official at the State Intelligence Agency, the 57-year-old Djaka joins a growing list of active military or police officers given strategic government roles since Prabowo – himself a retired general – took office last October. That same month, the president appointed Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya as cabinet secretary, a minister-level position. Teddy was Prabowo's aide during his time as defence minister from 2019 to 2024. At least six active military officials have since been appointed to various roles in ministries, agencies and state-owned enterprises. On Monday, an active police officer, Inspector General Mohammad Iqbal, was appointed secretary-general of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), one of two parliamentary chambers of Indonesia. Their appointments have incited worry that Indonesia is returning to the days of the authoritarian rule of Suharto, who governed from 1968 until 1998. The Suharto era saw the military in control of nearly every aspect of civilian life until a student movement forced him to resign on May 21, 1998. Suharto was also Prabowo's father-in-law. Djaka's appointment, however, has sparked greater concern among activists and experts because of his previous conviction and the technical role he has been given. His is also one of the most senior roles handed to an active military officer under Prabowo's watch. DJAKA HAS RESIGNED FROM MILITARY, SAYS MINISTER In 1999, Djaka and 10 other members of the special forces' 'Rose Team' were found guilty by a military tribunal for the 1997-1998 kidnapping of 22 pro-democracy activists who were critical of then-president Suharto. To this day, 13 of these activists are still missing. Djaka, then an infantry captain, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for his role in the kidnappings. Despite this, he got to keep his job in the military. The other defendants were sentenced to 16 to 22 months in prison. 'Victims and their families have been fighting for justice for decades. How can victims get the justice they deserve when perpetrators are given strategic government positions?' Ardi Manto Adiputra, director of human rights advocacy group Imparsial, told CNA. Prabowo, too, is accused of being involved in a number of human rights abuse cases, including the kidnappings. Although he never faced any charges, Prabowo was discharged from the military shortly after Suharto fell from power in 1998. Djaka was Prabowo's subordinate when the latter led the Army's special forces command in the 1990s, which also sparked concerns among experts that the president is less interested in installing the best man for the job and more about rewarding loyalists with strategic posts. To be sure, Prabowo's predecessors have also allowed active soldiers to take up civilian posts. But they have usually been limited to roles involving security, law enforcement, intelligence and disaster mitigation. Since its founding in 1972, chiefs of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) have been active generals. Meanwhile the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), which was founded in 2008, has been helmed by active generals since 2019. In March, Indonesia's parliament, which is controlled by Prabowo's coalition of parties, passed a revision to the law on the military, formally allowing active military officers to assume roles in 14 government ministries and agencies without first resigning. The revision sparked widespread demonstrations across Indonesia, some of which ended in violent standoffs between protesters and security officials. But the finance ministry is not among the 14 public offices allowed under the new law, and experts said Djaka must resign from active duty in the military. According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, who was quoted by Antara news agency on Friday, Djaka submitted his resignation before he was sworn in. The Indonesian armed forces have not responded to CNA's request for confirmation regarding Djaka's status in the military. 'ARE THERE NO CIVILIANS MORE QUALIFIED?' The other area of controversy is the opaqueness of Djaka's appointment and whether there was no technocrat better suited for the role. 'Why (Djaka)? Why appoint a general? Are there no civilians who are more qualified? Was Djaka appointed simply because of his closeness to Prabowo?' questioned Al Araf, chairman of security and human rights research group Centra Initiative. News that Djaka was set to be the new customs director came on Tuesday when he was summoned to meet Prabowo at the State Palace in Jakarta. Also summoned was Bimo Wijayanto, a civilian bureaucrat who was also sworn in on Friday as the new director-general of the finance ministry's taxation office. According to Detik news portal, Bimo later told reporters that he and Djaka met the president as they were to assume 'new roles at the finance ministry'. Djaka declined to speak to the media. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Friday that Prabowo wanted to see the pair because their roles are vital to bringing in state revenue. 'Djaka's presence provides an added value which we hope can support and enhance the Finance Ministry's ability to coordinate with law enforcers and other institutions better and more effectively,' Sri Mulyani said of the three star general's military background. But questions persist over whether he is qualified for the role. 'It is true that there are problems like corruption and the smuggling of illegal goods which requires someone with an iron fist,' said Bhima Yudhistira, executive director of the think-tank Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios). 'But being a customs chief also requires sufficient knowledge of the economy so they can formulate the right policy and strategy to increase state revenue without burdening businesses and consumers too much,' Bhima told CNA. 'The appointment of a military man with little economic experience sends the wrong message to businesses and investors. They need competent people to helm strategic economic roles so they know that Indonesia's economy is in the right hands.' In recent months, Prabowo's policies, such as backtracking on a planned value-added tax hike that would have boosted government revenue, have rattled investors. Meanwhile, Djaka's appointment suggests the Prabowo administration will not restrict the presence of military or police personnel to the 14 ministries and agencies allowed by law, analysts said. 'The Prabowo administration keeps on saying that it is not militarising the government, that the military will only have additional roles in 14 ministries and agencies,' Human Rights Watch's Indonesian researcher Andreas Harsono said. 'It says a lot about not only the intention of President Prabowo to revive the Suharto period with many active military officers in civilian roles,' Andreas added. 'It also exposes cynicism that Prabowo could make someone with a checkered past like Djaka to head the customs office.'
AsiaOne
19-05-2025
- AsiaOne
In Indonesia, fears grow that dark past may be rewritten with government's new history books, Asia News
JAKARTA — The Indonesian government's plan to release new history books has sparked concerns that some of the country's darkest chapters could be recast to show President Prabowo Subianto and late authoritarian ruler Suharto in a favourable light. The 10-volume series would have an Indonesia-centric narrative and aims "to reinvent the Indonesian identity," Culture Minister Fadli Zon told Reuters in an interview. Several historians said the commissioning of the books presents an opportunity for historical revisionism at a time when Indonesia's younger generations — largely responsible for Prabowo's resounding election victory last year — have little or no memory of Suharto's 1966-1998 New Order era. Prabowo openly praises Suharto, who was once his father-in-law, and is increasingly turning to the military to carry out his government's vision. Prabowo has also been accused of rights abuses while in the military, including involvement in the kidnapping of student activists during riots in 1998 — allegations he has repeatedly denied and which Fadli said had been debunked. Asvi Warman Adam, a leading historian who used to work at the National Research and Innovation Agency, said he was calling on academics to lobby lawmakers to scrutinise what he said would be "propaganda". "I suspect there is an intention to legitimise the ruling regime... such as by excluding gross human rights violations in 1998 linked to Prabowo," he said, adding that he expected the government would soon confer the posthumous title of National Hero on Suharto. Asked about concerns by some analysts and historians that the books could be used as propaganda, be politicised and omit human rights abuses that have been linked to Prabowo and Suharto, Fadli said: "History will be written correctly". The president's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new books. Prabowo has previously said that former activists were his supporters. Fadli, who has authored a book that defended Prabowo's actions as a special forces commander during Suharto's 32-year rule, added that neither he nor Prabowo would be involved in the editorial process. The books, which Fadli said were commissioned last year, will chronicle the history of humankind in Indonesia from homo erectus to Dutch colonisation to Prabowo's election. They will be authored and edited by about 100 historians and Fadli says he wants them ready by Aug 17, Indonesia's Independence Day. Mass killings in focus Made Supriatma, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said he believes the government will use the same playbook as Suharto, who released a six-volume book series in 1975 titled The National History of Indonesia that he said glorified the military and was fraught with inaccuracies. "Prabowo's history within this republic is not good, to be frank... Do they dare to write that?" said Made. Jajat Burhanuddin, a historian involved in the project, said so far there has been no state intervention. The 1998 kidnappings and torture of student activists would be included, he said, although he declined to say whether Prabowo would be mentioned in those accounts. Another key focus for historians will be how the books portray the mass killings of communists and sympathisers in 1965 and 1966, led by military and Islamic leaders. Some historians estimate more than half a million people were killed. No investigation has been conducted into the killings, which were in response to the murder of generals by the communist party in an abortive coup. Suharto rose to power in the aftermath and remained president until 1998, when he stepped down during a popular uprising and economic crisis after allegations of corruption and nepotism. The 1965 events continue to be debated in Indonesia. Fadli said the new books would not take a deeper look into the massacres. Fadli, who was among the student activists who demonstrated against Suharto, now speaks highly of the former ruler, highlighting economic achievements in his early presidency, including slashing poverty and tackling inflation. "My opinion has always been for a long time that Suharto should be considered a national hero," he said. [[nid:717469]]
