We Asked People Born After the Start of Reformasi What They Think of the New Order

Twenty years ago yesterday, Gen. Suharto stepped down from his presidency after ruling Indonesia for 32 years with an iron fist. Since then, other presidents have come and gone. Many things have changed, yet others stay the same—like the way Indonesian history is taught in schools today.

We're curious of what the Gen Z learns about Suharto and the New Order. How was the man portrayed in classrooms? Is Indonesia's young generation learning about all the bad things that happened? Or are they buying into the romanticism of New Order nostalgia?

To find some answers, we talked to high school and college students born after Reformasi. Here's what they have to say:

VICE: Hi, Arthur! What do you know about Suharto?
Arthur: Suharto ruled Indonesia for 32 years. I’ve heard that life was a nightmare during his regime. He didn’t tolerate anyone who 'violated' his rules. After that Suharto stepped down from his presidency.

What did the school teach you about Suharto and the New Order era?
I didn’t learn much about Suharto. My teacher mostly taught me about what happened during the New Order and the Old Order. I also learned the difference.

What’s the difference?
I forgot to be honest. I think it’s about the resistance or rebellion.

Do you like Suharto?
I can’t decide. I never experienced his regime.

Can we call him a hero?
Usually when we call someone a hero, it’s because they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the people. If he does something good, then we can call him that. But I’ve heard that not many people like him. Indonesians urged him to step down. So we can’t call him a hero.

What did you learn about Suharto in school?
It’s objective. In history books, every event is told descriptively. But it doesn’t really talk about the pros and cons in Suharto’s era. My history teacher only explained about the two sides, but never explored deeply.

Do you like him?
Not really. My dad told me how bad his life was during Suharto's presidency. My grandfather used to work in Sukarno’s cabinet. When Suharto became president, my dad's family's condition became worse. That’s why I think differently of him.

Should he be considered a hero?
Yeah, we can call him that. Despite all the bad things that he had done, he still did something to protect Indonesia from things that could have broken the country apart and the Communism Party.

What pops in your mind when you hear the name Suharto?
I remember that my grandpa used to read a biography book about him. I never got a chance to read it, though. But I do learn about him in school. Anyway, all I know is that he’s the second president of Indonesia, and that he’s president since 1967 until 1998. I also associate him with corruption and the discrimination against the ethnic Chinese Indonesians.

Do you like him?
No. He limited the freedom of ethnic Chinese Indonesians. During his regime, corruption thrived, and nobody really knew about those crimes because he also limited the freedom of the press. The economy during the New Order was also bad, due to the amount of external debt, private debt, and the exploitation of our natural sources.

Do you think Suharto is a hero?
No.

What springs to mind when you hear the name Suharto?
A dictator.

Do you like him?
Nope. He was a bad president. He didn’t realize that Indonesians were not stupid. The people couldn't be lied to. It’s just that people were afraid to confront him, since his rules were strict.

Ever heard of Tommy Suharto?
He's the youngest son of Suharto. I heard that he was or still a playboy. I also heard that he was involved in corruption and murder. He was indicted for land fraud and sentenced to 18 months in prison. His trial was led by the judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita. He refused to be locked up so he hired a hitman to murder Kartasasmita. After that he was sentenced for 15 years, but then he was paroled.

Do you think Indonesia was better under Suharto's rule?
I think he’s very controversial, especially in regards to the freedom of the press, et cetera. But I have to say that some of his programs were considered a success, such as his family planning and food self-sufficiency programs.

But what about the bad stuff?
I don’t like his leadership because back then there’s no such thing as the freedom of the press or free speech. Back then, there were a lot of violations during elections. Not to mention the discrimination against Chinese Indonesians, mysterious shootings, corruption, and nepotism. There were too many bad aspects about his presidency to mention here. How were your history lessons like in school?
I learned about the New Order, but it’s a pretty neutral take on it. We basically learned the good and bad sides of the regime.

Would you agree when people say Suharto is a hero?
Suharto doesn’t deserve to be called a hero. For obvious reasons.

Do you like Suharto?
Yes. But not really.

Why is that?
Suharto could’ve developed our economy. He recovered our relationships with other countries that were damaged in Sukarno’s era, and he also regained other countries' trust. But he took the wrong action. He made people think that he’s too focused on the foreign investors in Indonesia, and put the people second. So Indonesians grew resentful, and this led to the massacre of ethnic CIndonesians of Chinese descent.

Is it OK to call him a hero?
Like I’ve said, he might as well be a hero for stabilizing the government and economy. But on the other hand, he’s a threat for the people. The policy he issued polarized the country and caused people to become prejudiced toward one another.

What comes into your mind when you hear “Suharto”?
The father of development.

Do you like Suharto? Why?
What I like about him was that he spearheaded agrarian revolution. Because of him, we were able to export rice to other countries. He developed the infrastructure not only in Jakarta, but remote parts of the country too. In his era, we even won a badminton competition in Barcelona. But I don’t like that he ordered the obliteration of the Communist Party, because not all of the members were rebels. Under him, corruption and nepotism rose. Indonesia quit the UN. He couldn’t solve the economic crisis. There were so many other things that I don’t like but I don’t remember.

In your honest opinion, is it OK to call him a hero?
No. When he became the president, Indonesia was already independent from colonizers. So why should we call him a hero? There is nothing about him we can be proud of.

When did you learn about the New Order?
When I was in elementary school, I only learned general information about New Order, Old Order, and Reformasi. It was in the sixth grade. In middle school, I didn’t learn about it at all.

What did you learn?
My teacher only taught me that we had a new president and cabinet. I didn't learn about what life was like in that era. I discovered more about New Order from magazines, and stories that my parents and grandparents told me.

What did your family tell you?
The most interesting story they told me was about the mysterious killings, how people would be shot to death if they didn’t follow his policies.

Do you like Suharto?
I don’t. People weren't able to speak their mind. It’s so different from today, especially with the presence of social media. We can make memes of Jokowi and it's fine. You couldn't have done that in Suharto's era.

Have you ever watched the propaganda film G30SPKI?
I’m not interested in watching that.

You're old enough to vote in the next election. What's your plan?
I will vote, but I'm going to do my research. It's going to be my first time voting and there are so many things that I don’t know yet. I could easily be "brainwashed".

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Sattwika Duhita, Nurul Aziza, Titah AW, and Hendri Abik contributed to this article.