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Proposal to name Soeharto national hero draws opposition
A proposal for the government to name late president Soeharto as a national hero has been met with stiff opposition from rights activists, who fear it would exacerbate a culture of impunity and eventually absolve the authoritarian leader of his alleged corruption and rights violations.
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Tragic memorial: Visitors walk on May 21, 2024, past skulls made from resin and graves recreated for an art installation in Jakarta to commemorate 26 years of “reform struggle“ since the May 1998 Indonesia riots, in which hundreds of protesters were killed or disappeared in unrest that brought an end to the rule of former president Soeharto. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
A
proposal for the government to name late president Soeharto as a national hero has been met with stiff opposition from rights activists, who fear it would exacerbate a culture of impunity and eventually absolve the authoritarian leader of his alleged corruption and rights violations.
Soeharto, former father-in-law of President Prabowo Subianto, is on the list of nominees for this year’s national heroes that is still under the scrutiny of the Social Affairs Ministry.
But rights activists are calling for the government to drop Soeharto's name from the list, saying that the former president should not even be in contention because he oversaw three decades of repressive rule and one of the world's most corrupt regimes before being forced to step down in 1998.
“We strongly disagree with [making Soeharto a national hero]. There is no clear philosophical, legal or sociological basis behind the proposal,” Usman Hamid, executive director of rights group Amnesty International Indonesia, said on Monday.
While Soeharto had never admitted any wrongdoing and was never brought to court up to his death in 2008, Usman said that he was still “clearly responsible” for democratic regressions, collusion, nepotism and incidents of state violence that marred his New Order regime.
Activist Dimas Bagus Arya of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said even if Soeharto’s presidential achievements alone were seen as enough to warrant him the national hero title, the decision must also account for human rights considerations as mandated by laws.
“Giving him the national hero title means that the state is effectively absolving his sins, which would be a big blow for human rights in the country. This would set a bad precedent and could lead to more impunity,” Dimas said on Monday.
