11/11/2025
STATEMENT
Suharto Is Not a Hero
Suharto would have achieved glory and even become a national hero if this country had been ruled by fascism. Simply proposing and debating Suharto as a national hero demonstrates the deeply ingrained fascism in the economic, political, cultural, and security systems of power in Indonesia and its society. The desire to maintain Indonesia as one nation and one state — based on empathy and solidarity of the majority, and anti-class inequality and the struggle to reduce the burden of life — has no place. National and state unity is maintained by force, Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia/Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI) is a non-negotiable price, even if the class disparity are as wide as the ocean and the burden of life on the shoulders of the majority of the people is borne until death, inherited from generation to generation!
Suharto was not only responsible for the mass killings that took place since he formally held the March 11th Order (Supersemar) 1966, but since the Army Strategic Command (Kostrad) held De Facto power in Indonesia; since President Sukarno followed his orders to move from Halim to The Bogor Palace.
Anyone who has power over the deaths of so many people, human beings — for whatever reason without accountability that can be accepted by the Indonesian people and the world — is clearly not worthy of being a national hero for a civilized nation.
A national hero is a hero who liberated a nation from the domination of other nations, freed from direct or indirect colonial domination, or freed from imperialism. He fought to bring Indonesia to a status not of Indonesia Raya or The Great Indonesia; a chauvinistic ideology. National heroes fought to bring Indonesia and all nations equality in freedom and advancement, and forged solidarity with one another.
During the New Order, Suharto was an accomplice of imperialism; gaining power through imperialist support. Throughout the New Order, he was supported by debt from the Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia (IGO) from 1967, the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), the World Bank, the IMF, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the precursor to the WTO. Suharto inherited a debt of 551.4 trillion rupiah, or 54% of GDP.
The Freeport McMoran Copper-Gold Mine in Tembagapura-Papua, Inco-Sulawesi, Chevron, Exon-Mobile Oil, all too long to mention, have given rise to monopoly wealth in the hands of a handful of individuals and the imperialist United States. Indonesia has only experienced a natural crisis that is very difficult to recover from, suffering from severe class disparities because imperialism shares its superprofits with only a handful of its henchmen in Indonesia, and until 1998, Indonesia was not only left on the runway, but was buried within the runway to facilitate the freedom and advancement of foreign financial capital in Indonesia.
For 32 years, the Indonesian people have lost their basic rights, pawning all their rights to resist and rebel for the sake of the “pure and consistent” Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, for the sake of the General Guidelines of State Policy (GBHN), for the sake of the Five-Year Development Plan (PELITA), for the illusion of TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TAKE-OFF!
The press was censored and suppressed. Journalists were arrested and imprisoned. There could only be one organization, the Indonesian Journalists Association. Artists had to align with the New Order. Dangdut and wayang became instruments of mass mobilization under the New Order.
Party organizations were limited to two: PDI and PPP. Golkar was not a party but participated in and consistently won elections. Regional Representatives, Group Representatives, and the ABRI Faction were chosen by Suharto himself, enough to make him President for 32 years without disruption. Labor organizations were limited to one: SPSI, which now disguised itself as KSPSI and KSPI. All teachers were required to be members of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI). Student organizations were limited to CIPAYUNG: HMI, PMII, PMKRI, GMKI, GMNI, and HIMABUDI. Youth organizations were limited to Pancasila Youth, Panca Marga, FKPPI, and Kosgoro Youth. Women were organized in the PKK, Dharma Wanita, and the All-Indonesian Women's Congress (KOWANI), which included religious and traditional women's organizations. Implementing the Politics of Ibuism elevated women's roles in the domestic sphere and removed them from their role as productive forces. Molding women to be transmitters of conservative values and enforcing the stigma of wild women, ignorant of customs, not in accordance with nature, or branding women as part of Gerwani to critical women or women who take on large roles in the public sphere.
Farmer organizations were only allowed to be HKTI, KTNA, and IPPHTI. National minority groups were called Isolated Tribes/Suku Terasing. Those who protested and carried out actions were called New Style Communists/Komunis Gaya Baru (KGB), Formless Organizations/Organisasi Tanpa Bentuk (OTB), Bald Devils—SEMPRUL! Those with tattoos were called a Social Disease and were murdered in the streets by the Mysterious Shooter/Penembak Misterius (PETRUS) who operated very blatantly.
All Level II regional heads hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel-ABRI, the Indonesian National Police (POLRI), or the Golkar Party. All Level I regional heads may only hold the rank of Major General-ABRI, the Indonesian National Police (POLRI), or the Golkar Party. The majority of ministers are members of ABRI, the Indonesian National Police (POLRI), and the Golkar Party. All regional heads are Civil Defense Commanders/Komandan Pertahanan Sipil (HANSIP). All civil servants are members of the Indonesian Civil Servants Corps/Korp Pegawai Republik Indonesia (KORPRI).
Comprador entrepreneurs, imperialist lackeys and big landowners, are called NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURS! All of them are friends and were raised by Suharto. Eka Tjipta Widjaja-Sinar Mas, William Surya Wijaya-Astra, Liem Sioe Liong alias Sudono Salim-Indofood, Prajogo Pangestu-Barito Pacific, Bob Hasan-Nusamba, Rahman Family-Gudang Garam, Hartono Family-Djarum, H.M Sampoerna Family, Gelael Family, Subronto Laras Family, Bakrie Family, Bob Sadino Family, Yusuf Meruk Family, Arifin Panogoro Family, Rahmad Gobel Family-Panasonic, and many more that would be too long to mention them one by one.
Suharto's kindness was numerous. He was very kind to his loyal ABRI (Indonesian Armed Forces) and POLRI (Indonesian National Police), who protected him for any wrongdoing. Critical ABRI and POLRI members were banished, including some of those in PETISI 50. Suharto was very kind to the imperialists and their henchmen in Indonesia, assisting them with Reforestation Funds/Dana Reboisasi and Prize-Worshipping Philanthropic Social Donor Donations/Sumbangan Dermawan Sosial Berhadiah (SDSB). Suharto was very kind to all the parties and mass organizations that supported him. Suharto was very kind to all his friends and associates, both civilian and military. Suharto was very kind to his children and grandchildren, establishing many businesses and foundations for them.
Suharto's greatest kindness was that he was willing to step down as President of Indonesia on May 21, 1998 after being in power for 32 years! But as General Sudirman said, "Evil will triumph if the just do nothing." Suharto Is Not a Hero.