Soeharto A Hero, Reform Failed: Indonesia Still Glorifies Authoritarian Government

JAKARTA – Heroes' Day, November 10th, is less than a week away. That date will be a crucial moment in determining the late second President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto, as a national hero. If President Prabowo Subianto announces that his former father-in-law is a hero, it will prove that Indonesia still glorifies authoritarian rule.

There are 49 candidates for the title of national hero, and 24 of them are prioritized.

"The process of nominating these heroes is grassroots, starting with the community, starting at the district/city level. Then, there's a research team consisting of experts from various backgrounds. After that, it goes from the district/city level to the provincial level. There's also a research team, academics, and a number of figures who assess (called) the TP2GP (Targeted National Hero Team). Then, it goes to the TP2GP at the Ministry of Social Affairs," said Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, explaining the process for nominating national hero candidates during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, November 5th, as reported by ANTARA.

The process for nominating and determining a national hero begins with the Central Title Research and Review Team (TP2GP). The proposed names are then submitted to the Titles, Medals, and Honors Council (GTK), led by Fadli.

According to Fadli, the suggestion for Soeharto's name came from the public. On the other hand, many members of the public also rejected the naming of Soeharto as a hero.

"Yes, I think it's just input, but we're looking at his extraordinary contributions, because all 49 names are individuals whose contributions have been carefully considered through research. They have rendered extraordinary contributions, which is why they were proposed. If they hadn't (made such contributions, ed.), they wouldn't have been nominated. So, in terms of meeting the requirements, they meet the requirements," said Fadli, responding to the protests and rejection of Soeharto as a national hero.

In Fadli's view, Soeharto was a figure who rendered countless contributions to Indonesia. Fadli cited Soeharto's role in the General Offensive of March 1, 1949, to ward off the Second Dutch Aggression, as well as the Operation to Liberate West Irian in 1962.

The Controversy That Occurred

Based on Article 33 of Law No. 20 of 2009 concerning Titles, Medals, and Honors, recipients of this title are entitled to awards and honors from the state. These awards include state facilities and funds, which are allocated periodically to the hero's heirs.

This seems absurd, as the list of proposed names for the title of national hero includes Marsinah's name alongside Soeharto. Marsinah, a labor activist, was found dead in a gruesome state in Nganjuk, East Java, on May 8, 1993, after going missing for three days.

Marsinah's murder case was never resolved in court. Despite evidence of military involvement in Marsinah's case, none of the perpetrators were brought to justice. This case made Marsinah a symbol of the struggle for women workers and a victim of human rights violations during Soeharto's New Order era.

"Yes, we respect the process of awarding the title of hero, but because it's important, we must carefully examine his track record from past to present," said House Speaker Puan Maharani in response to the pros and cons of awarding the title of national hero to Soeharto on November 4, 2025.

Anti-Soeharto sentiment has always been part of the Reformasi (Reformation), a process to end the authoritarian New Order regime that had lasted 32 years. If Soeharto were declared a national hero, alongside Marsinah, then nothing would remain of the Reformasi!

The main slogan popular during the 1998 Reformasi era was to rid Indonesia of corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN). This was directed at Soeharto, the central figure, and his cronies.

Despite this, Soeharto has never been tried for the corruption charges against him. The government's promise to trace and uncover the corrupt assets of Soeharto and his cronies, all the way to Switzerland, is just political lip service.

Besides corruption, the underlying reason for rejecting Soeharto as a national hero is undoubtedly the human rights violations during his reign. During his reign, Soeharto exploited military power for political and economic gain, while simultaneously repressing opposition parties who opposed his policies.

The crucial question is, why is designating Soeharto as a national hero so important to Prabowo?

Soeharto's Politics of Glorification

This isn't the first time Soeharto's name has been mentioned as a national hero. In 2008, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) used a Heroes' Day television advertisement as a gimmick to gain support from Soeharto devotees. This strategy was unsuccessful and sparked a negative public reaction. PKS was immediately classified as an anti-reform political party.

In 2010, Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo and Karanganyar Regent Rina Iriani officially proposed that Soeharto be declared a national hero. Their proposal was fully supported by the Golkar Party, but it failed to receive a positive public response.

In 2019, Jimly Asshiddiqie, Deputy Chairman of the Council for Titles, Medals, and Honors, also rejected the proposal for Soeharto to be named a national hero. At the time, Jimly argued that "Soeharto's grave was still wet."

Despite all the opposition to the proposal to name Soeharto as a national hero, the path to declaring his name as a national hero became smooth in 2024. This was related to the removal of Soeharto's name from MPR Decree No. 11 of 1998 concerning the Governance of a Clean State Free from Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism.

This apparent attempt to clear Soeharto's name was reinforced by a statement by Bambang Soesatyo, the Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) at the time. He argued that Soeharto's name deserved to be removed because he was already deceased.

A few weeks after the MPR's maneuver, another Golkar Party politician submitted a proposal to the Central Java government and the Ministry of Social Affairs, nominating Soeharto as a national hero. This proposal was then sent to the Chairman of the Council for Titles, Honors, and Merit on October 21, 2025.

Many believe it is now only a matter of time before President Prabowo issues a Presidential Decree designating Soeharto as a national hero. Even Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf and former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, have stated that the legal requirements for the controversial proposal have now been met.

This case presents a critical test of civil society's capacity to challenge anti-democratic forces. It's important to reflect on what contributed to the failure of efforts to bestow the title of hero on Soeharto in 2010, 2015, and 2016.

In addition to pressure from various pro-democracy civil society movements, efforts to designate Soeharto as a national hero also met with little interest from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or President Joko Widodo. The designation of Soeharto as a hero did not positively contribute to the political standing of these two Indonesian presidents, Prabowo's predecessors, at the time.

The situation is clearly different today, as Prabowo's extended family has a close personal relationship with Soeharto. The status of national hero for Soeharto allows for impunity for crimes committed under the New Order military dictatorship, which are also associated with Prabowo.

The conferment of the title of national hero on Soeharto is clear evidence that the New Order never fully lost power. Truly meaningful reform may never occur in Indonesia. The current designation of national hero is merely an attempt by the elite to perpetuate authoritarian rule, using democratic norms.