Dictator Suharto becomes national hero – human rights activists outraged

Indonesia

Dictator Suharto becomes national hero – human rights activists outraged

Indonesia celebrates former dictator Suharto as a national hero – despite allegations of mass murder, torture and corruption. Human rights activists are outraged.

Indonesia has declared former long-term ruler Suharto a national hero, sparking strong criticism from human rights groups. They accuse the government of using the move to trivialize decades of human rights violations and corruption during his more than 30-year rule.

Suharto, a US ally in the Cold War, led Indonesia in an authoritarian manner from 1967 to 1998. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of political opponents were killed during his rule. He was overthrown in 1998 after massive protests.

Current President Prabowo Subianto paid tribute to Suharto (1921-2008) for his military achievements during Indonesia’s struggle for independence in a televised ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday. He was one of a total of ten people who were posthumously honored on the occasion of National Heroes Day.

Human rights organizations blame Suharto for mass killings, torture and corruption – especially in regions striving for independence such as East Timor, Aceh and Papua. His family is also said to have accumulated massive amounts of state money. After the Asian crisis of 1997/98, he was overthrown by mass protests. Suharto died in 2008 without being prosecuted for the crimes of his rule.

Former General Prabowo – who has been president since last year and was himself accused of human rights abuses during Suharto’s final years in power – did not comment publicly after the ceremony. He was married to Suharto’s daughter Siti Hediati Hariyadi from 1983 to 1998.

In addition to Suharto, former President Abdurrahman Wahid, who was in office from 1999 to 2001 and repealed many of the dictator’s repressive laws, and trade unionist Marsinah, who was kidnapped and murdered during Suharto’s rule in 1993, were also honored.

“The political elite may suffer from historical amnesia, but they have no right to manipulate our shared history just because they are in power,” Hendardi, chairman of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, said in a statement. He also pointed out the contradiction of honoring Suharto and Marsinah in the same year.

The Setara Institute also argued that the decision violated Indonesia’s State Awards Law, which sets strict moral and legal standards for such honors. “Suharto does not meet these standards,” Hendardi said, adding that the president’s family ties to Suharto presented a “clear conflict of interest.”