Suharto Museum Celebrates Dictator’s Life, Omitting Dark Chapters
Nugroho said that He built the museum so the Indonesian people could learn the positive side of Suharto’s rule,
Biyono, 82, who runs a small shop near the museum selling cold drinks
and Suharto T-shirts, said the New Order introduced electricity and paved roads to the area and took a harsh stance on crime.
Visitors posed for photos next to a sculpture of the "great general," while a music system blared New Order anthems, including the song "Suharto Is Our Father." Across the street, small shops sold cold drinks
and souvenir T-shirts featuring Suharto smiling, above these words: "How are you doing, bro?
Mr. Untung said that It is completely wrong,
Baskara T. Wardaya, director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies at Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta, said it was "predictable, and to a certain extent understandable"
that a museum built by Suharto’s family would present a one-sided version of history.
Across Java, posters and T-shirts appeared in which Suharto encouraged the public to remember how much better it was "in my time." Golkar
and members of the leader’s family have also petitioned the Indonesian government to grant him the title of "national hero," so far unsuccessfully.
Untung said that Suharto is not a legitimate hero,
