Suharto's Hero's Title Proposal For The History Of Press Freedom

Illustration of the rejection of the title of hero for the second President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto. (change.org)

JAKARTA Director of the Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Mustafa Layong considers the proposal to award the title of national hero to the second President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto contradicts the spirit of reform in 1998.

This is because one of the spirits of reform in 1998 was fighting for press freedom and the abolition of state control over the media.

"How is it possible for people to silence the press into heroes? It is tantamount to slapping the struggle of journalists and civil society who sacrifice for freedom," he said in a written statement, Sunday, November 9.

According to him, the proposal to award the title of hero for Suharto risks distorting history and threatening freedom of expression. The reason is, if Suharto is called a hero, the critics have the potential to be considered insulting to a national hero.

Mustafa stated that LBH Pers still saw the proposal to give Suharto the title of hero, ignoring the dark history of repression of media freedom in the New Order era, where the press at that time lost freedom and was strictly controlled by the government.

He gave an example of the rules for issuing a Press Issuance Business License (SIUPP) as the government's strict control to the media.

With SIUPP, the government can revoke media permits at any time on the grounds of disrupting stability.

Many media have been silenced, activists have been arrested, and the law is used to suppress the media. That's a historical fact that cannot be deleted," Mustafa concluded.

Sebelumnya, Menteri Sosial Saifullah Yusuf mengatakan, nama Presiden kedua RI Soeharto termasuk dalam 49 nama tokoh yang diusulkan menerima gelar pahlawan nasiona. Mensos meminta agar publik menunggu pengumuman resmi tanggal 10 November dari Presiden Prabowo Subianto.

Previously, Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf said the name of the second President of the Republic of Indonesia Soeharto was included in the 49 names of figures proposed to receive the title of the national hero. The Minister of Social Affairs asked the public to wait for the official announcement on November 10 from President Prabowo Subianto.