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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The General Soeharto Memorial Museum in Bantul, Yogyakarta, was spruced up ahead of Indonesia’s 2025 Heroes Day commemoration. Chairs were neatly arranged in the main pavilion facing portraits of the former president and his wife, Siti Hartinah. The museum’s caretakers prepared to welcome cadets from the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, who were set to pay tribute to the New Order leader.Visitors also crowded into the museum in Kemusuk village—Suharto’s birthplace. A series of events were held in anticipation of the long-debated title. Among them was a visit from Suharto’s fourth child, Siti Hediati Hariyadi, better known as Titiek Soeharto, on Thursday, November 6, 2025. “Mbak Titiek invited everyone to pray that Pak Harto be named a national hero,” said the museum’s head, Gatot Nugroho, in Bantul the next day.Titiek arrived with several members of the House of Representatives’ Commission IV. Abdul Kharis Almasyhari, a legislator from the Justice and Prosperity (PKS) Party who accompanied her, claimed their visit was only for lunch. “After that, we continued the trip to Surakarta,” he said via WhatsApp.Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for 32 years, now seems almost certain to be named a national hero. Culture Minister Fadli Zon said the man once dubbed ‘The Smiling General’ met all the requirements. As the head of the Council for Titles, Honors, and Decorations, Fadli claimed the proposal originated from the public. “There is no problem,” he said.Read the Complete Story in Tempo English Magazine
