TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
People to have say on Soeharto as hero
The presidential council in charge of designating nominees for honorary titles will consider public opinion when determining if former president Soeharto should be declared a national hero, a council member said Monday
Change Size
T
he presidential council in charge of designating nominees for honorary titles will consider public opinion when determining if former president Soeharto should be declared a national hero, a council member said Monday.
Jimly Asshiddiqie, a member of the Council on Titles, Medals of Honor and Medals of Service, said it would be difficult for the council make a decision.
“Having seen the heated debates and controversies in the media, this year’s national hero selection will be a tough one,” Jimly, a former Constitutional Court chief justice, told The Jakarta Post.
Speculation has emerged that the council, which is dominated by Soeharto’s former ministers, will likely name the controversial figure a national hero.
The council is chaired by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto, who made his career as a high-ranking Air Force officer under Soeharto’s leadership.
Djoko’s deputy, Hayono Suyono, is a former National Family Planning Board member and was the coordinating minister for public welfare and poverty eradication during the New Order.
Other officials appointed by Soeharto who now serve on the council include former bureaucratic reform minister T.B. Silalahi, former religious affairs minister Quraish Shihab, former defense minister Juwono Sudarsono and University of Indonesia archaeology professor Eddy Sediawati.
“The speculation is understood. I’m the youngest here,” Jimly said.
He declined to state to his personal opinion, saying the council has yet to discuss Soeharto’s candidacy.
Jimly said that the council might strike some names from its list of 10 candidates. “Unlike the United States, we already have too many heroes. I think we should tighten our screening,” he said.
“What I can guarantee you is that we will listen to the public. This is about a hero for the country, not a hero for the seven of us. Our result must satisfy public preferences,” Jimly said.
According to the Law on Titles, Medals of Honor and Medals of Service, the council must evaluate a list of national hero candidates submitted by the Social Services Ministry and forward its recommendations to the President. The President evaluates the council’s recommendations and usually announces national heroes on Nov. 9, ahead of National Heroes Day on Nov. 10.
The subject of making Indonesia’s second president a national hero has sparked controversy every year in the run up to Heroes Day after Soeharto’s death in 2008.
Suyoto Sudjadi, a secretary to the Social Services Ministry team responsible for suggesting national hero candidates to the council, said that those who favored Soeharto appreciated the development of the country during the 32 years of his presidency.
Soeharto’s role as a military commander in a famous attack against Dutch troops on March 1, 1949 was also considered a boost for his nomination as a national hero.
Human rights activists, however, have repeatedly voiced concern over Soeharto’s human right abuses.
Sumarsih from the Solidarity Network of Victim Families of Human Rights Violations said Soeharto was a corrupt and authoritarian leader whose regime was largely supported by the military.
“During his tenure, he committed many gross human rights abuses as has already proven by the investigations of the National Commission on Human Rights,” she said.
Sumarsih added that Soeharto’s role as the country’s “father of development”, a commonly cited reason behind the push to name him a national hero, must be re-examined.
