Jakarta: The Indonesian government’s forthcoming release of a new 10-volume history book series has triggered a wave of concern among historians, civil society groups, and academics, who fear the move may recast some of the nation’s darkest periods—particularly those involving President Prabowo Subianto and the late authoritarian leader Suharto—in a favorable light.
Framed as a project to forge a more “Indonesia-centric” narrative, the initiative seeks “to reinvent the Indonesian identity,” according to Culture Minister Fadli Zon. He told Reuters the series would trace the nation’s journey from early human history through Dutch colonization to the election of President Prabowo.
However, critics argue that the timing and political context raise the risk of historical revisionism. Prabowo’s resounding electoral victory in 2024 was largely driven by younger voters—many of whom lack firsthand memory of Suharto’s 1966–1998 New Order regime. This generational gap has stoked concerns that the upcoming books could gloss over, or exclude entirely, the state-sanctioned violence, human rights violations, and repression that marked that era.
Historians note that Prabowo, a former special forces commander and Suharto’s one-time son-in-law, has increasingly drawn upon the military as a central force in governance. He has also long expressed admiration for Suharto’s legacy.
Prabowo has faced serious allegations stemming from his military past, including involvement in the abduction and torture of pro-democracy student activists during the political upheaval of 1998. These allegations, which he has consistently denied, were dismissed by Fadli, who said they had been “debunked.”
Asvi Warman Adam, a prominent historian formerly with Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, urged fellow scholars to push back against what he called a potential exercise in “propaganda”.
“I suspect there is an intention to legitimise the ruling regime … such as by excluding gross human rights violations in 1998 linked to Prabowo,”
he said, warning that the government might also posthumously award Suharto the title of “National Hero.”
Asked whether the new books could be used to sanitize past abuses or promote political agendas, Fadli responded:
“History will be written correctly.”
The president’s office has not commented on the project, though Prabowo has previously claimed that several former activists now support him.
Fadli, who authored a book defending Prabowo’s military role during Suharto’s rule, insisted that neither he nor the president would be involved in shaping the editorial content of the history series. He said the project, initiated in 2023, involves nearly 100 historians and is slated for release by August 17—Indonesia’s Independence Day.
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Past Atrocities and Selective Memory
The new series is drawing comparisons to a similar effort under Suharto, who in 1975 oversaw the release of a six-volume history collection widely criticized for glorifying the military and distorting facts.
“Prabowo’s history within this republic is not good, to be frank … Do they dare to write that?”
said Made Supriatma, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
One historian participating in the new project, Jajat Burhanuddin, claimed there had been no political interference so far. He confirmed that the 1998 kidnappings and torture of student activists would be addressed, though he declined to say whether Prabowo would be named in that context.
Another area of close scrutiny will be how the books treat the mass killings of suspected communists and sympathizers in 1965 and 1966—a period during which the military and conservative Islamic groups orchestrated a campaign of violence following the murder of army generals in an attempted coup. Estimates suggest that more than 500,000 people were killed. Suharto’s subsequent rise to power set the stage for decades of authoritarian rule marked by censorship, repression, and economic growth.
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Despite ongoing public debate and international criticism, Indonesia has yet to formally investigate the 1965 atrocities. Fadli stated that the new series would not include a deeper examination of the massacres.
Interestingly, Fadli—who once protested against Suharto as a student activist—now speaks positively of the former ruler, citing his early success in reducing poverty and controlling inflation.
“My opinion has always been for a long time that Suharto should be considered a national hero,”
Fadli said.
As Indonesia moves forward with the publication, historians warn that how the past is remembered—or forgotten—could shape not only the national narrative but also the trajectory of democratic accountability in the years ahead.
