Indonesia’s move to rehabilitate Suharto reopens wounds, draws condemnation

A move by Indonesian legislators to expunge the late former president Suharto’s name from a corruption decree and a proposal to award him a national hero title have drawn condemnation from activists and families of victims who died or went missing during the dictator’s rule.

The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) last month amended three decrees, including one issued in 1998 that mandated measures to eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism against anyone involved in such activities “including former President Suharto”.

The decree, issued shortly after Suharto’s 32-year authoritarian rule collapsed amid a crippling financial crisis and widespread unrest, does not include his name after its amendment.

The proposal to remove Suharto’s name came from Golkar, his long-time political party, which cited a 2006 ruling by the Attorney General’s Office to drop all corruption charges against him due to his “permanent health problems.”

“Regarding the mention of the name of former President Suharto in the MPR Decree Number 11/MPR 1998, (we) declared (it) to have been completed because the person concerned had passed away,” MPR Speaker and Golkar politician Bambang Soesatyo said during a plenary session on September 25. Suharto died in 2008.

Absolving Suharto’s sins