Daftarsbmptn.com – When Suharto’s name is invoked as a national hero, it’s important to remember the dark side of history that is closely tied to his career. A recent research overview suggests that the 1965-66 mass killings—estimated at between 500,000 and 1,000,000—were not simply a spontaneous reaction to a coup attempt, but rather part of a structured mechanism of power. This is reported in the Cambridge journal “New Findings on the Indonesian Killings of 1965–66.”
While numerous books, documentaries, and studies confirm that the Indonesian military, under Suharto’s control at the time, played a leading role in the anti-communist purge, the official narrative often ignores the responsibility of individuals and state institutions. This is quoted from “The State of Knowledge about an Open Secret: Indonesia’s Mass Disappearances of 1965–66.”
Here are some historical facts that need to be revealed and understood honestly—not to emotionally judge one side, but so that this nation can reconcile with the past and build a more just future.
The G30S Pretext, Military Power & Mass Massacre
When six Army generals were murdered in an incident known as the 30 September Movement (G30S) on the night of September 30, 1965, the military led by Suharto immediately accused the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) of being the mastermind. However, recent research shows that the military itself had prepared the command and regional structures (Kodam, Kostrad) that later became instruments of the mass purge.
The article “New Findings on the Indonesian Killings of 1965–66” estimates that around 500,000 people died in the wave of anti-communist killings. Other research cites classified United States documents that indicate that the Indonesian military was supported logistically and propaganda-wise by the US to strengthen its anti-PKI alibi.
In this context, Suharto was not merely part of the power transition but is considered the primary architect of the regime’s restructuring, which used violence as a basis for replacing Indonesia’s political system. “The Army and the Indonesian Genocide: Mechanics of Mass Murder” states that the military, controlled by Suharto, “initiated and implemented the 1965-66 mass killings.”
The mechanisms of this violence were not simply spontaneous, but also bureaucratic regulations involving regional officials, the military, paramilitary militias, and even religious propaganda to alter public perception.
Impact, Impunity & National Reflection
To this day, victims and their families still demand recognition and justice. In 2016, the International People’s Tribunal for the 1965 Genocide found Indonesia guilty of crimes against humanity through mass killings and enforced disappearances.
However, the Indonesian government has not officially issued a formal apology or held a credible trial regarding these events. Efforts at national deliberation remain very limited and often face protests and obstacles.
If Suharto is then given the title of hero without first revealing the facts and providing justice for the victims, society will lose the opportunity to learn from past mistakes—and the political implications could be dangerous: the normalization of political violence as part of regime building.
A nation that refuses to look into the mirror of its past risks replaying it in a different form. Analyzing history means opening space for healthy democracy, respecting human rights, and avoiding a repeat of tragedy.
For many historians and victims of history, the idea of making Suharto a hero feels like opening old wounds that have not yet healed.
The 1965–1966 tragedy left a bloody mark on Indonesian history. Behind the official narrative of “exterminating the PKI,” recent research reveals the active involvement of Suharto and the military in a systematic operation that killed hundreds of thousands of people without due process.
According to various historical accounts, the number of victims reached between 500,000 and 1 million—mostly ordinary people accused of being sympathizers of the Indonesian Communist Party. They were arrested, tortured, and even killed without trial. This massacre then paved the way for Suharto to eliminate political opponents and seize power from President Sukarno.
New Evidence: Suharto Behind the Chain of Command for the Killings
In a Tempo investigative report titled “Suharto, the Military, and the Post-G30S 1965 Mass Killings” (https://www.tempo.co/politik/soeharto-militer-dan-pembunuhan-massal-pasca-g30s-1965-812562), it was stated that Australian researcher Jess Melvin found strong evidence of Suharto’s direct involvement in the massacre. Melvin, who researched military archives in Aceh, discovered nearly 3,000 pages of documents containing military instructions from the central government, indicating that the killings of PKI members and sympathizers were not a spontaneous popular movement, but rather a centralized and systematic operation.
Melvin explained that on October 1, 1965, Suharto, then Army Commander, immediately sent orders to regional commanders, including Aceh Military Commander Ishak Djuarsa. In the letter, Suharto announced that a “coup” was underway and ordered the imposition of martial law throughout Sumatra. This instruction was followed by an order to “smash the counter-revolution down to its roots”—a phrase that later became the justification for mass killings in various regions.
Within days of this order, the military mobilized civilians to hunt down alleged communists. In Aceh, more than 1,900 people were killed in a matter of weeks, while in Central Java, East Java, and Bali, the death toll continued to climb to hundreds of thousands. Melvin concluded that the patterns of military communication and operations uncovered in the archives formed a “map of a national genocide” unfolding simultaneously under Suharto’s command.
A Covert Coup for Power
Melvin’s research also found strong indications that Suharto had been preparing a coup long before the G30S incident. According to the United States diplomatic documents he cited, Indonesian generals were said to be waiting for a “trigger event” to seize power from Sukarno. The 30 September Movement was then used as a pretext to launch the covert coup.
Suharto immediately took control of the Army, blaming the PKI without clear evidence, and carried out mass arrests across the country. From then on, his political path steadily moved towards total power, which he ultimately achieved through Supersemar and the New Order regime that lasted for more than three decades.
The Nation’s Collective Wounds
For many, including researchers, historians, and survivors, these facts are enough to reject the idea of making Suharto a national hero. He was not a hero, but a key actor in Indonesia’s darkest human tragedy.
For 50 years, the state chose to remain silent. But now, academic evidence such as that uncovered by Jess Melvin is paving the way to a more honest historical truth—that the 1965 tragedy was not the people’s anger, but rather a fabrication of power that sacrificed millions of lives for the ambition of one man: Suharto.