The current Indonesian government has proposed that former dictator Suharto be added to the country's official pantheon of heroes. This proposal has been endorsed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), a party that is explicitly Islamic, despite the fact that Suharto's government by and large suppressed religiosity in the political sphere. Aubrey Belford writes in the NYT about the controversy over this proposal; although Suharto is widely credited with Indonesia's increased prosperity in the decades prior to the Asian economic crisis, he was famously corrupt, violent in his suppression of political components and he led Indonesia during its bloody occupation of East Timor, which some have called a genocide.
posted by Dim Siawns on Nov 1, 2010 - 22 comments

Indonesia's former President Mohammed Suharto, who towered over Indonesian politics for 32 years, has died in hospital aged 86. Accused of amassing billions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth for himself, his family and friends, Indonesian officials were never able to find any evidence of this ill-gotten wealth. The BBC remembers him in pictures.
posted by Effigy2000 on Jan 27, 2008 - 39 comments

Former President Suharto is ill. This story is being carried on CNN and the BBC, but good luck trying to find any references to genocide or 200'000 dead. MSNBC buries this fact in a flash animation. Remember, according to Western media, not all genocide is bad.
posted by bobo123 on Dec 16, 2001 - 6 comments

Meanwhile in Indonesia , where speculating about Florida ballots isn't an issue, Tommy Suharto is on the run, and his murderous father is going on trial. Indonesia has a massive Muslim population, a violent (and touchy) army, and a troubled history of ethnic violence; I'm continually worried that it's going to erupt into flames (again).
posted by snarkout on Nov 8, 2000 - 1 comment