Fertilizing Nepotism, Title Of Hero Loses Great Meaning

Second President of the Republic of Indonesia Suharto with Prabowo Subianto, who is now the Eighth President of the Republic of Indonesia. (Instagram/@Prabowo)

JAKARTA Giving the title of national hero to Suharto is the subjective political attitude of President Prabowo Subianto's government which is based on the teachings of nepotism of his former in-laws.

Suharto's name, along with 39 other figures, including the fourth President of the Republic of Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid and Nganjuk labor activist Marsinah, are proposed to win the title of hero by the Ministry of Social Affairs to the Council of Titles, Services, and Honors.

The discourse on giving Suharto the title of hero has entered its next stage, after Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf said the proposal had met the administrative requirements.

However, the proposed title of national hero to the Second President of the Republic of Indonesia is still a polemic today. Political observer and founder of Lingkar Madani Ray Rangkuti said that the awarding of the title to Suharto reflected the subjective political attitude of the Prabowo government which was based on the teachings of nepotism. The effect of this action, he said, in addition to eliminating the nepotism of the Prabowo government, also obscured the meaning of heroes themselves.

"If Suharto is designated as a hero, then the important values or principles of a hero will run away," said Ray Rangkuti in a statement received by VOI.

"The reality is, at least in the Prabowo era, anyone can be named a hero. In the Prabowo era, those with a series of negative facts will still be heroes," he added.

To be crowned a hero, Ray Rangkuti thinks there are several things that need to be observed. Heroes are role models in the life of the nation and state. They are people who can be referred to as political and social behavior.

Some of the characteristics that a person deserves to be called a hero, according to Ray Rangkuti, include freeing his nation from ignorance, oppression, and poverty; prioritizing the public interest rather than self-interest, family, or class; and never being involved in cases of corruption, collusion, and nepotism.

Although the proposal is still a polemic, Ray Rangkuti believes that Suharto will still be named a hero in November 2025. He said that nothing can prevent the former President Prabowo's father-in-law from getting the title of hero, after failing on several occasions.

Suharto's name has actually been repeatedly proposed as a national hero since 2010. However, this was hindered by MPR Decree Number XI of 1998 concerning the Implementation of a State that is Clean and Free from Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism (KKN).

In 2024, this proposal came back after Suharto's name was removed from Article 4 of TAP MPR Number XI/MPR/1998.

But, here's the irony.

President Prabowo is none other than Suharto's former son-in-law. The eighth President of the Republic of Indonesia will designate his former father-in-law as a hero. Seeing this fact, Ray sees how thick the smell of nepotism is in it.

"After being repeatedly proposed, and being rejected, it turned out that it was nepotism that brought Suharto to the title of hero. The bandage was not too surprising," he said.

"Because, it's like following the political culture that Suharto instilled a long time ago: prioritize the interests of families, groups, then set aside the interests of the nation and state," he added. Giving Suharto the title of hero, said Ray Rangkuti, such as caring for the teachings of nepotism in the style of Suharto to continue to be fertile.

He also questioned what action made Suharto worthy of being pinned as a hero, or what example could be learned from the embedding of Suharto as a hero?

Suharto, who has been in power for 32 years, has brought this nation to what has been pinned by reform as the father of KKN. Even though the MPR TAP on KKN Suharto was revoked last year, but it cannot break the fact that in the Suharto era in power, the practice of KKN began and even spread until now. In addition to the practice of KKN, respect and protection for human rights has also greatly declined.

Ray considers the awarding of the title of hero Suharto to be the subjective political attitude of the Prabowo government which is based on the teachings of Suharto nepotism. But the effect of this action, apart from eliminating the nepotism of Prabowo's administration, also obscures the meaning of his own hero.

"If Suharto is designated as a hero, then the important values or principles of a hero will run away. In fact, at least in the Prabowo era, anyone can be designated as a hero," he explained.

In the era of Prabowo's rule, those with a series of negative facts will still be heroes. Then, what else is the important meaning of the title of hero? Since Prabowo announced the title of hero, since then the title has lost its great meaning," Ray Rangkuti said.