November 5, 2025 | 08:13 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the Council for Orders, Decorations, and Honorary Titles (DGTK) Fadli Zon said there is no evidence linking former president Soeharto to the 1965–1966 mass killings in Indonesia.
Fadli made the statement in response to comments by philosophy professor Franz Magnis Suseno, who earlier argued that Soeharto does not deserve the title of National Hero due to his alleged involvement in one of Indonesia’s darkest chapters.
“So what are the facts? Is there anyone brave enough to present them? Where is the evidence?” Fadli said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. “We are talking about history, facts, and data, right? Are there any? None, right?”
Soeharto Meets the Criteria, Says Fadli Zon
Fadli, who also serves as Minister of Culture, said Soeharto has met all the formal requirements to be named a National Hero. The official announcement is expected on Heroes’ Day, November 10, 2025.
“For the proposed names, as I’ve said before, they all meet the requirements, including former president Soeharto, whose name has been proposed three times,” Fadli said.
He explained that Soeharto’s name was previously submitted in 2011 and 2015, and each time fulfilled the necessary criteria. The nomination, he said, does not come solely from the DGTK, but also from local governments at the regency, city, and provincial levels.
The proposals are then reviewed by the Research and Evaluation Team for Titles of Heroism (TP2GP), which includes historians, academics, religious figures, and civil society representatives.
Fadli added that the DGTK received 49 names of candidates from the Ministry of Social Affairs, based on TP2GP’s study. Of those, 24 have been prioritized for consideration this year. He did not confirm whether Soeharto is among the shortlisted candidates.
Critics Reject Soeharto’s Nomination
Earlier, Professor Franz Magnis Suseno, a prominent ethicist from the Driyarkara School of Philosophy, strongly opposed the idea of awarding Soeharto the title of National Hero.
Speaking at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation office in Jakarta on Tuesday, November 4, Magnis accused the former president of massive corruption during the New Order era.
“Soeharto engaged in large-scale corruption. He enriched his family, his associates, and himself. That is not the behavior of a national hero,” he said.
Magnis argued that a true hero is someone who serves selflessly for the good of the nation, not for personal or familial gain. “That alone is a strong enough reason why he should not be named a National Hero,” he added.
He also accused Soeharto of being responsible for the 1965–1966 mass killings, which claimed hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of lives.
“It cannot be denied that Soeharto bore the greatest responsibility for the killings of 1965–1966. According to various accounts, there were between 800,000 and 3 million victims,” he said.
Despite acknowledging Soeharto’s achievements, including stabilizing Indonesia’s economy after the Sukarno era, ending confrontation with Malaysia, and fostering regional cooperation through ASEAN, Magnis insisted that these accomplishments cannot erase his record of corruption and human rights violations.
Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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