Your comments on the calls to make former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid a national hero, which has inspired the Golkar Party and other supporters of former president Soeharto to make the same call for the former New Order leader.
The government doesn't need to name Gus Dur, Soeharto or Sukarno national heroes. It's the love of the people that matters.
Subur
Semarang, Central Java
The people's recognition of a leader's dedication and service to the nation doesn't depend on a title awarded by the government.
The only advantage of the title to the person or their heirs is the financial reward that goes with the title. The more people that are named national heroes, the less value the title bears.
Soebagjo Soetadji
Jakarta
Everything Gus Dur did was for the best interests of the Indonesian people, in all their diversity. He always tried to minimize the differences and point out the similarities among us so we could live together in tolerance.
Rest in peace, Gus, we hope a man of your caliber will show up and continue the good things you started.
Shiro
Jakarta
I have no idea of the reason behind some people's recommendation to name Gus Dur a hero. During his controversial presidency, he slandered everyone, creating suspicion among many people and parties. Instead of maintaining unity, he made it more vulnerable.
In 1965, when Soeharto took power for the first time, the political and economical situation was unbearable; within only 15-20 years, Indonesia was considered the rising star of Asia. Many admired Indonesia for its economic growth, food security, growing prosperity, and its role in international issues.
I spent a year in Cambodia, and many people there, especially the older generation, considered Indonesia their closest friend, due to Indonesia's influential role in proposing and maintaining a sustainable peace in Cambodia following the turbulent years of civil war.
My father was and is a farmer. For a low-end community like my father, everything was easier when Soeharto was in power. Compared to the current situation, everything was far better at that time. Soeharto was more successful by far in maintaining the Unitary Republic of Indonesia compared to Gus Dur.
With all due respect, Gus Dur was one of Indonesia's great men, but in this regard, I think Soeharto deserves to be named a hero more than Gus Dur. If you are going to make Gus Dur a hero, I think you'd need to do the same for Soeharto.
Akhyari Hananto
Yogyakarta
I think it's too early to make either Gus Dur or Soeharto national heroes. Some people seem so eager to make a long list of their positive contributions.
However, these two figures also failed miserably in many aspects.
People should not forget that Soeharto left a legacy of a "culture of corruption" so deeply embedded in modern Indonesian society.
As for Gus Dur, as much as he promoted tolerance and pluralism, he also left Indonesians a legacy of a "culture of bad management, irrationality and superstition".
People should not forget that it was during Gus Dur's presidency that this country witnessed uncountable bizarre and irrational policies.
Koesmilah
Amsterdam
