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International outcry grows over Soeharto national hero proposal
Rather than bestowing the former president with a national hero title, the government should focus on resolving past gross human rights violations and corruption committed during Soeharto’s presidency, a coalition of international civic groups have said.
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Strong refusal: Protesters hold banners that read “Reject the national hero title for Soeharto“ during a rally in front of the Social Affairs Ministry's office on May 15 in Jakarta. The protesters, comprised of members of civic and pro-democracy groups, argue that the state should not give Soeharto a national hero title due to his history of gross human rights violations and corruption. (Antara/Reno Esnir )
A
growing wave of international condemnation has poured in over the renewed effort to name late president Soeharto as a national hero, with a coalition of global civic groups warning the plan could whitewash decades of human rights abuses and corruption by the former leader.
Soeharto, who was also the former father-in-law of President Prabowo Subianto, has been included on the list of nominees for this year’s national heroes that is still under the scrutiny of the Social Affairs Ministry’s Central Research and Assessment Team for Title (TP2GP).
More than 30 civic groups and prominent individuals from across the globe voiced their strong opposition to the proposal. In a joint statement released on Thursday, they called the proposal a “brazen insult” to victims of Soeharto’s 32-year authoritarian regime.
Included in the coalition were the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development and Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice.
Read also: Proposal to name Soeharto national hero draws opposition
They asserted that honoring Soeharto as a national hero would “significantly undermine Indonesia’s commitment to uphold human rights in the international community”.
“Granting the title of national hero to a perpetrator of crimes against humanity would constitute a betrayal for victims and survivors of past human rights violations, many of whom have yet to receive recognition, justice or reparations,” the groups said in the statement.
