Jakarta – The government’s decision to bestow the title of National Hero on the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto, has elicited a positive response from various groups.
Golkar Party Secretary General, M. Sarmuji, expressed his appreciation to President Prabowo Subianto for appointing Soeharto to receive the title.
He considered the honor to be in line with Soeharto’s long track record of service.
“Thank you to the Indonesian government, especially President Prabowo Subianto, for conferring the title of National Hero on the second president of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto, also known as Pak Harto. This is a form of state respect for his service and dedication to the Indonesian nation and state,” said Sarmuji.
Sarmuji emphasized that the title was not merely a symbolic award, but an acknowledgment of Soeharto’s legacy during his decades leading Indonesia.
“Mr. Harto played a significant role, both in the pre-independence and post-independence eras, and during his time as president, leading the nation’s development for more than three decades,” he said.
He also reminded that Soeharto realized the concept of “Functional Group” initiated by Bung Karno into the concrete form of “Functional Group”.
“Mr. Harto was a member of Golkar’s Advisory Board… and he also translated Bung Karno’s thoughts which gave birth to the initial idea of the ‘Functional Group’… which was then realized by Soeharto into the ‘Functional Group’,” said Sarmuji.
He considered the development of the Soeharto era to be the foundation of modern Indonesia.
Public support for the title was also reflected in the Coffee Shop survey presented by Political Communication Analyst, Hendri Satrio (Hensat).
He said that the majority supported the awarding of the title of hero to the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia.
“As many as 80.7 percent support Suharto becoming a national hero, while 15.7 percent do not support him and 3.6 percent don’t know,” he said.
According to Hensat, the reasons for support include the success of food self-sufficiency, national development, the provision of affordable schools and basic necessities, and political stability.
Academic views were also provided by Professor of Ciputra University Surabaya, Murpin Josua Sembiring.
He urged the public to view this proposal as a space for national reflection. Murpin assessed that Suharto played a significant role in stabilizing the country after the crisis, rebuilding the administration, increasing international trust, and laying the foundation for long-term development.
He emphasized that various programs such as rice self-sufficiency, irrigation development, community health centers, integrated health posts (posyandu), and village electrification were real evidence of Soeharto’s contribution.
“This narrative is not glorification, but rather a development fact agreed upon by many historians and policy scientists,” he said.
According to Murpin, the economic and institutional progress of that period laid a crucial foundation for Indonesia’s current development direction.
