For decades, he was a feared US-backed dictator whose regime oversaw bloody Cold War-era massacres, accused of diverting huge amounts of state money to propel his family into luxury and political power.
On Monday, he was posthumously named a national hero of Indonesia – prompting protests from human rights groups and victims who decried the award as whitewashing a repressive regime that left hundreds of thousands dead, according to historians.
Former President Suharto was granted the title in a ceremony by Indonesia’s current leader, Prabowo Subianto – Suharto’s former son-in-law, himself a divisive figure as a former general who faced his own allegations of human rights abuses while in uniform.
“A prominent figure from Central Java province, a hero of the struggle for independence, General Suharto stood out since the independence era,” an announcer said during the award presentation, according to Reuters.
But as the roiling controversy shows, that characterization is hotly debated – and Suharto’s legacy is anything but straightforward.
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