Regarding The Name Suharto Being A National Hero, Minister Of Social Affairs: That's A Proposal From The Regency/City

Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf or Gus Ipul. (Diah-VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf or Gus Ipul emphasized that the proposal to award the title of national hero to the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, was not a personal decision, but the result of the tiered process from the regions to the center.

This explanation was conveyed by Gus Ipul in response to the polemic that appeared in the public regarding the emergence of Suharto's name in this year's list of potential recipients of the title of national hero.

Gus Ipul explained that every year the Ministry of Social Affairs receives many proposals from various regions, including the names of figures who are considered meritorious to the nation. Suharto's name, he said, is one of the many proposals that enter through an official mechanism.

"We have sent a lot of things, one of which is President Suharto. What we have said has been decided this year, some have been decided in previous years. Some have not met the requirements, this year we have decided to meet the requirements," said Gus Ipul. met at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Friday, October 24.

He emphasized that the proposal decision was not taken unilaterally by the Ministry of Social Affairs, but through an assessment mechanism by the competent team.

"It was not my personal decision, but it was the team's decision, in this case it was the central-level hero title study and research team. What was proposed to the Dewan Degree chaired by Mr. Fadli Zon (Minister of Culture), they were proposals that we continued from the district or city, then at the governor's level, only to us," he said.

Currently, said Gus Ipul, the proposal process has reached the central level of the Dewan Degree. His party has delivered an official presentation regarding all prospective recipients of this year's title, including Suharto, to the Council chaired by Fadli Zon.

"Yes, there, in the Dewan Degree. We were asked for an explanation and the one who explained it was the Director General of Social Empowerment as the person in charge of proposing this Dewan Degree. And I went inside, only that it had been conveyed there, we had until we handed it over directly to Pak Fadli Zon," he explained.

Moreover, apart from Suharto's name, Gus Ipul said that there were a number of other figures who were proposed to receive the title of national hero, including the 4th President of the Republic of Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid or Gus Dur, to Marsinah labor activists.

"If President Prabowo is formally deemed to have met the requirements, including Kiai Abdul Rahman Wahid or President Gus Dur, then there are also Marsinah labor fighters, there are many more figures in each province, all of which will be discussed later at the Dewan Degree level before being submitted to President Prabowo," he said.

Furthermore, Gus Ipul hopes that this polemic can be a common learning material on the importance of respecting the process and assessment mechanisms that have been set. "We ask that hopefully, all of this will be a lesson for all of us later. This public discourse will also be a lesson for all of us," he said.

The inclusion of Suharto's name was protested by a number of parties. One of them is Amnesty International Indonesia, which considers this step as a form of betrayal against the spirit of reform and neglect of the suffering of victims of human rights violations during the New Order.

Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid assessed that efforts to appoint Suharto as a national hero were actions that were contrary to the democratic values fought for since 1998.

"Efforts to make Suharto a national hero are the greatest form of betrayal at the mandate of the people since 1998. If this proposal continues, reform has the potential to end in the hands of the Prabowo government," said Usman in his statement, Thursday, October 23.

Usman reminded that Suharto's fall two decades ago became the birthplace of a reform era that opened up space for political freedom and human rights enforcement in Indonesia.

"Suharto fell as a result of public protests that gave birth to reforms. Therefore, conferring Suharto, the title of national hero can be seen as the end of reform itself," he said.