In Indonesia, Gen Z’s nostalgia for dictator Suharto reveals troubling generational divide

JAKARTA, Nov 17 — The decision to name Indonesia’s former dictator Suharto a national hero has exposed a deep and troubling generational divide in the world’s third-largest democracy. 

While activists and survivors of his brutal 32-year rule are outraged, many young Indonesians, born after his fall and grappling with a modern cost of living crisis, are responding with indifference or even a dangerous nostalgia for an era they never knew.

Instead of mass protests, the controversial announcement was met with small, muted demonstrations, revealing a new reality in a nation where economic anxiety is eclipsing historical memory, The Guardian reported.

For many young Indonesians struggling with rising inflation and precarious employment, the debate over Suharto’s legacy feels distant from their daily struggles.

“It’s not that we don’t care about history or justice; we’re just trying to survive,” said Subhan Nur Sobah, a 32-year-old who works in education. 

“People tend to romanticise the Suharto era because they hear stories about how stable and prosperous it was, especially compared to today’s economic challenges.”

That sentiment is echoed by Jakarta content creator, Alma al Farisi. 

“Idealistically, Suharto should not even be considered a national hero,” she said

“But then once we go into the outside world: we’re living and we’re going to work or we’re going to class, and it’s like: we have to live. We have to be realistic.”

The fading memory of violence

This indifference is fuelled by what one expert calls a failure of memory. Most of Gen Z were not alive when Suharto was forced from power in 1998, and the darkest chapters of his rule, such as the 1965-66 “communist purge” where an estimated half a million people were massacred, are largely absent from the official school curriculum.

“The memory was never properly transferred to the younger generation,” said Nathanael Gratias Sumaktoyo, an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore. 

He fears this historical amnesia will worsen, especially with recently announced plans to rewrite the history curriculum to emphasise “positive” national pride.

For those whose families were directly affected by the regime, however, the memory is all too real. 

Yansen, a 22-year-old Chinese-Indonesian student, says his community still faces discrimination as a legacy of Suharto’s crackdowns. Making him a hero “is not a good decision,” he said. 

“There’s all this trauma, and the government still just closes their eyes.”

When he posted videos online bemoaning the decision, he was met with a wave of pro-Suharto comments. Young people, he says, simply “don’t know what kind of sins Suharto did.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr speaks during a campaign rally ahead of the elections, in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila May 9, 2025. — Reuters pic

Controversial decision by controversial leader

The decision to bestow the award was made by Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto, Suharto’s own ex-son-in-law and a controversial former general who was himself accused of human rights abuses. 

His commanding election win was notably supported by a strong Gen Z backing, a trend that analysts see as part of a wider regional pattern of authoritarian nostalgia, similar to the Marcos family’s return to power in the Philippines.

However, his administration has sparked concerns over increasing military influence in governance and echoes of Suharto-era authoritarianism.