Jakarta – Support for awarding the title of National Hero to Indonesia’s second president, Soeharto, is growing among academics and religious leaders.
Professor Marsuki, a senior lecturer at Hasanuddin University, believes Soeharto deserves to be named a national hero. He stated that Soeharto’s extensive development legacy provides a strong and objective basis for considering the national honor.
“Having led for more than 30 years, with the many development programs he implemented, he is truly worthy of receiving the title of national hero,” said Prof. Marsuki.
He emphasized that assessments of historical figures must take into account their achievements and the broad benefits they brought to the nation. Therefore, he reaffirmed that Soeharto fully deserves the recognition as a national hero.
Meanwhile, the Muhammadiyah Central Board (PP Muhammadiyah) has also voiced its support for the proposal to grant Soeharto the title of national hero.
“PP Muhammadiyah, as conveyed by Mr. Dadang [Dadang Kahmad, Chair of PP Muhammadiyah], fully supports the conferment of the national hero title to Mr. Harto,” said Muhadjir Effendy, Chair of PP Muhammadiyah for Economy, Business, and the Halal Industry.
Muhadjir also referred to President Prabowo Subianto’s recent speech, in which he called on the Indonesian people to honor the contributions of national figures.
“No one can deny Mr. Harto’s contributions to the Indonesian nation—just like Bung Karno. We must bury their shortcomings as deeply as possible and raise their contributions as high as possible,” he said.
According to Muhadjir, this support represents an acknowledgment of Soeharto’s contributions to national development during his presidency.
Muhammadiyah’s position is based on an objective assessment of Soeharto’s historical role in the nation’s progress. Therefore, the organization affirms its readiness to support the formal proposal for granting the national hero title to Indonesia’s second president.
“The conferment of such a title is the government’s authority. We are merely expressing the people’s aspirations, and I believe the majority of Indonesians would agree if Mr. Harto were awarded the title of National Hero,” said Muhadjir.
Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) Chairman Ahmad Fahrur Rozi, or Gus Fahrur, also expressed support for the proposal to designate Soeharto as a National Hero.
“In Islamic scholarly tradition, there is an important principle: Al-muhafazhah ‘ala al-qadim ash-shalih wal akhdzu bil jadid al-ashlah—preserving the good from the past and adopting the better from the new,” said Gus Fahrur.
He also noted that Soeharto made significant contributions in the socio-religious sphere. [-RWA]
