Soeharto and Abdurrahman Wahid May Be Named National Heroes This Year
Main Takeaways
|
JAKARTA, investortrust.id – Indonesia’s second president Soeharto and fourth president Abdurrahman Wahid have emerged as potential recipients of the country’s prestigious National Hero title in 2025, according to Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf.
The minister, popularly known as Gus Ipul, confirmed on Wednesday that both figures are currently being reviewed as part of the national hero selection process, which is expected to conclude before August.
“Soeharto and Gus Dur are among those with a strong chance of receiving the title this year,” Gus Ipul said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
Gus Ipul added that the two former heads of state are among dozens of public figures proposed by communities across Indonesia. The nominations span regions such as East Java, North Sumatra, Central Sulawesi, Cirebon, and Madura.
These names, he explained, are initially submitted by the public to local governments—regents or mayors—who then assemble a regional research and verification team. The proposals are further evaluated at the provincial level before being submitted to the Ministry of Social Affairs, which convenes a central review body known as the National Hero Title Research and Assessment Team, or TP2GP.
“This central team will forward their recommendations to the National Hero Title Council, which advises the president,” Gus Ipul said.
The TP2GP is currently in the midst of reviewing the 2025 nominations. The ministry aims to complete the vetting process ahead of the country’s Independence Day in August.
“The final decision by the president is usually made in late October or November. But from our side, we are targeting to have the names ready for submission by August,” he said.
Soeharto, who led Indonesia for over three decades, was previously nominated in 2010 and 2015. However, both proposals were blocked due to the existence of the People's Consultative Assembly Decree No. 11 of 1998, which called for clean governance and explicitly addressed corruption, collusion, and nepotism—issues linked to his administration.
That decree, Gus Ipul noted, has since been repealed, removing a major obstacle to Soeharto’s eligibility.
“From what I’ve read in the official records, that decree was the key issue. Now that it has been repealed, there is a clear opportunity for Soeharto to be granted the hero title this year,” he said.