Polemic Of The Title Of Hero Suharto, Observer: Needs Political And Stated Growth
JAKARTA - Executive Director of the Institute's Center for Justice and Resilience (Sekata Institute), Andri Frediansyah, assessed that the statement by the PDI-P General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri who rejected the discourse on granting the title of National Hero to the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, was a personal and historical thing.
However, he stressed the importance of this nation building awareness and collective maturity in the state so as not to continue to be trapped in past wounds.
"As individuals and parties who experienced the political situation firsthand in their time, it is natural that Mrs. Mega has an emotional view of the past. But in the context of statehood, this should be a door for the growing awareness of the nation's collective maturity to make peace with history," Andri said in a written statement, Sunday, November 9, 2025.
According to him, if historical injuries are used as the basis for rejecting the awarding of the title of national hero, then this nation will continue to be trapped in the paradox of the past.
In fact, he said, a great nation is a nation that is able to respect the services of its predecessors, despite differences in political views in the past.
"Moreover, Mrs. Mega herself once served as the 4th President of the Republic of Indonesia. She must understand how complex it is to lead a nation as big as Indonesia with a diversity of people and thousands of islands. To maintain national stability requires great energy, thoughts, and even control of emotions and feelings, as Mr. Harto has done during his 32 years of leadership," he said.
Andri assessed that, under Suharto's leadership, Indonesia had achieved strong national stability, massive basic infrastructure development, economic improvement, and strong state resilience.
Even at that time, Indonesia was known as one of the economic powers in the Asian region.
"It is not fair if Pak Harto's great services are not taken into consideration in giving the title of National Hero. The title is not just a personal respect, but a form of state recognition for the great contribution to the nation," he said.
Furthermore, Andri assessed that the awarding of the National Hero title to Suharto could actually be a symbol of national reconciliation and the beginning of the awareness of the collective maturity of the community in the state.
"This nation needs to look forward to realizing Indonesia Gold 2045 with a complete national spirit. Awards to past leaders without ignoring criticism are a form of our political maturity and state together," he said.