Soeharto Declared a National Hero
Twenty-seven years after his fall from power, President Prabowo Subianto has moved to restore his former father-in-law’s reputation by declaring Soeharto a national hero, reigniting debate over the late strongman’s repressive three-decade rule.
At a ceremony at the State Palace on Monday to mark National Heroes Day, Prabowo bestowed the National Hero title on Soeharto, with his eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti “Tutut” Rukmana and son Bambang Trihatmodjo receiving the honor on his behalf. Soeharto was among ten figures granted the distinction, joining nationalists and activists recognized for their service to the country, such as late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid who was known as a champion of pluralism and moderate Islam and slain labor activist Marsinah.
The Jakarta Post reported last week that “During his three-decade New Order rule, Indonesia experienced rapid economic development that earned Soeharto the moniker ‘father of development’ for his push to build infrastructure and boost agricultural output. But this progress came at the cost of repression. Under the dwifungsi (dual function) doctrine, the military entrenched itself in civilian and political life, from the national legislature down to remote villages, to suppress dissent.”
The article went on to report that “rights groups and academics have condemned Prabowo’s decision to bestow the national hero title, calling it “a distortion of history, a betrayal of the reform ideals and an insult to the millions of victims of human rights violations” during Soeharto’s New Order regime. “The state should stand with victims, not perpetrators of human rights violations. The hero title for Soeharto must be revoked immediately as a moral and political responsibility to the nation’s history and future,” said Amnesty International Indonesia and the Indonesian Historical Transparency Alliance (AKSI) in a joint statement on Monday. Egi Primayogha of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said Soeharto’s designation signaled not only the death of the Reform Era, the movement that ended Soeharto’s rule, but also the resurgence of the New Order.
“The Reform Era agenda was to hold Soeharto and his cronies accountable and dismantle corruption, collusion and nepotism,” he said. “Yet the systemic corruption that took root in that era endures, with many political and business elites today still tied to the New Order.”(Excepts from the Jakarta Post) (Editor’s Note: The announcement did not yield any grassroots protests to date.)
Volcano Eruption Does Not Disrupt Bali
Flights at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport remain fully operational despite renewed volcanic activity at Mount Semeru in East Java, officials said on Thursday. Mount Semeru, Indonesia’s tallest volcano, erupted on Wednesday afternoon, sending hot clouds as far as 7 kilometers from its summit. The eruption did not affect surrounding regions, including Bali, located across the Bali Strait to the east.Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, said there were no disruptions to flight schedules, passenger movements, or airport operations.