November 6, 2025 | 09:24 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Alliance of Civil Society Movement for Holding Soeharto Accountable (Gemas) will hold a protest at the Indonesian Ministry of Culture office in Jakarta on Thursday today, November 6, 2025. They demand that the government not bestow the title of national hero on former President Soeharto.
Their demand will be conveyed to the Minister of Culture and the Chairperson of the Council for Titles, Awards, and Honors (GTK), Fadli Zon. "Today we will conduct a demonstration at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, where Fadli Zon serves as the chair of the GTK council," said Andrie Yunus, a representative of the alliance, in a brief message on Thursday.
This protest will begin at 11:00 AM local time. They will express their rejection of the conferment of the title of national hero on Soeharto, which has currently been proposed by the GTK to President Prabowo Subianto.
The Gemas Alliance will bring an open letter and a petition from organizations and individuals who reject the national hero title for Soeharto. "We also invite the entire civil society movement to participate in the demonstration," said Andrie.
The Gemas Alliance considers Soeharto unworthy of bearing the title of national hero, especially due to the track record of his administration, which was marked by state violence against civilians and various corruption cases.
After the protest at the Ministry of Culture, it then will move to the front of the Presidential Palace. The Gemas Alliance will join the Aksi Kamisan, which also rejects the conferment of the title of national hero on Soeharto.
Previously, Fadli Zon stated that Soeharto has met the requirements to receive the title of National Hero, which will be announced on Heroes' Day, November 10, 2025.
Fadli Zon stated that the Council for Titles, Awards, and Honors (GTK) has received 49 names of national hero candidates proposed by the Ministry of Social Affairs through the study of the Central Title Researchers and Assessors Team (TP2GP). Nine out of the 49 proposed names are those that have been proposed before.
Fadli Zon mentioned that out of the total 49 names, the GTK has selected 24 names as priority candidates for the national hero title. He did not specify whether Soeharto's name is among the 24 priority names. However, he mentioned that Soeharto has met the requirements.
"For these names, as I said, they all meet the requirements, including the name of President Soeharto, which has been proposed three times," said Fadli Zon at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
Eka Yudha Saputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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