On 10 November 2025, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto made a controversial decision that reignited divisions in Indonesian society: he posthumously designated former President Suharto as a pahlawan nasional or a ‘national hero.’ Suharto seized power in 1965 during a period of violent upheaval and ruled Indonesia for over three decades until 1998, presiding over what he called the "New Order" regime. His rule brought rapid economic development, lifting millions out of poverty and transforming Indonesia into a regional power. But it was also marked by systematic human rights violations, including the mass killings of alleged communists in 1965-66, as well as brutal crackdowns in East Timor, Aceh, and West Papua. His regime was characterized by media censorship, restrictions on freedom, and widespread corruption. The decision to honour Suharto came despite protests from over 500 civil society members, academics, and activists who argue the designation whitewashes history and betrays the victims of his regime. But defenders point to his role in Indonesia's economic transformation and his contributions during the independence era. In this episode Elisabeth Kramer is joined by historian Dr. Ken Setiawan and Lailly Prihatiningtyas, a PhD student representing Sydney group Aliansi Gusar, to explore what this designation means for Indonesia's democracy, its memory politics, and its ongoing struggle with accountability for past atrocities. We also ask, how have young people reacted to this, and what does it mean to them? Dr Setiawan has written a highly relevant article on historical revisionism under the Prabowo presidency, which you can find at https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/of-heroes-and-villains-prabowos-playbook-for-power-and-historical-revisionism/. Dr Ken Setiawan is a Senior Lecturer in Indonesian Studies and a Deputy Director (Diversity and Inclusion) at the Asia Institute, Faculty of Arts. She is also an Associate at the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS) at the Melbourne Law School. Ken's research interests include globalisation and human rights, historical violence and transitional justice, as well as gender and civil society. She has widely published on the politics of human rights in Indonesia, and teaches in the areas of Indonesian Studies, including language, and Asian Studies, with a particular focus on politics and human rights. Lailly Prihatiningtyas is a PhD candidate and research consultant at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney. Her work focuses on the governance of just energy transitions, green jobs, and labour market institutions, especially in Southeast Asia. She has more than a decade of diverse professional experience in Indonesia, working with government, development organisations, the private sector, and NGOs. She is part of Aliansi GUSAR (Gerakan untuk Sydney Bersuara), a grassroots collective of Indonesian diasporas in Sydney concerned with justice and equality in Indonesia, and joins Talking Indonesia to share a civic engagement perspective on social justice, state accountability, and the impacts of political decisions on ordinary Indonesian citizens.
