Hero of the day: Social Services Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri (center) gestures to the chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction at the House of Representatives, Marwan Ja’far (right), who submits a recommendation to grant national hero status to former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid on Monday. Various groups have advocated that Gus Dur, founder of PKB, be made a national hero. JP/J. Adiguna
The Social Services Ministry welcomed the Golkar Party’s plan to promote the country’s second president, Soeharto, as a national hero.
This is in addition to the recommendation to provide the hero status to Indonesia’s fourth president, Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.
Social Services Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri said Monday that his ministry would propose Gus Dur and Soeharto as national heroes to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as soon as possible.
Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) at the House of Representatives, Marwan Ja’far, submitted a recommendation to name Gus Dur, founder of the PKB, a national hero to Salim.
Salim said that his ministry was waiting for the documentation to be completed for Soeharto’s
nomination.
“If we receive the required documentation, we will submit the name to Yudhoyono,” he told detik.com
on Monday.
He added that Yudhoyono would later hand over the proposals to the National Heroes Advisory Council.
The new names of national heroes are usually announced on National Heroes Day on Nov. 11.
East Java has also begun the process of proposing Gus Dur a national hero.
East Java provincial administration spokesman Gunarto said Monday that a team from the East Java Social Agency had been collating the necessary requirements for Gus Dur’s hero status.
A 2000 government regulation stipulates that the proposal should be delivered from the public of his hometown.
Gus Dur was born in Jombang, East Java, 69 years ago.
“The Jombang people proposed him a hero to the Jombang regent, who later transferred the proposal to the East Java governor,” Gunarto told The Jakarta Post in Surabaya.
He added that the governor would later make the proposal to the Social Services Ministry.
As for Soeharto, Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo submitted the proposal.
Many people from political parties and NGOs supported Gus Dur in receiving the national status.
They have also formed a group on social networking site Facebook for the cause.
If accepted, Gus Dur would become the third generation in his family to become a national hero — after his grandfather and father.
The founder of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, Hasyim Asy’ari was Gus Dur’s grandfather.
Gus Dur’s father, Wahid Hasyim, once served as religious affairs minister.
Separately, former speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Hidayat Nur Wahid, said that Soeharto was also eligible for the candidacy.
Soeharto led the authoritarian regime in 1966 until he was ousted in 1998 following a public outcry to reform government sectors.
His administration was noted to be guilty of widespread human rights violations.
Corruption committed by his cronies was also rife.
Soeharto died in January 2008. He was 86.
NU proposed Gus Dur as a national hero shortly after his death Wednesday.
Hidayat said that the country should not become overwhelmed by Soeharto’s administration.
“We are supposed to promote the reputation of former presidents,” he told detik.com on Monday.
He added that this was the right moment for the country to make its three former presidents national heroes.
“Both of them deserve the status.
“Our first President [Sukarno] already has the status,” he said. (nia)
Achmad Faisal contributed to the report from Surabaya
