Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Democracy and Election Empowerment Partnership, or DEEP, a non-governmental organization focused on electoral and democratic studies, released the findings of a public sentiment research on social media regarding the awarding of the national hero title to former Indonesian President Soeharto.
The Director of DEEP, Neni Nur Hayati, explained that the data collection for this research was conducted from November 1 to 10, 2025, using keywords such as Soeharto, Suharto, national hero, and RejectSoehartoNationalHero.
She stated that the data included 5,989 reports from mass media, including print, online, and electronic, as well as 39,351 social media conversations spanning platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok.
"The results show a strong dominance of positive sentiment. The positive sentiment for awarding Soeharto the national hero title is deeply rooted in the support of two major Islamic organizations, namely NU and Muhammadiyah," said Neni in a brief video statement on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
She continued, stating that the positive sentiment in mainstream media towards awarding Soeharto the national hero title reached 73 percent, far surpassing the 21 percent of negative sentiment. Neutral sentiment was recorded at 6 percent.
According to her, these findings indicate a dominant and constructive narrative, both in mass media and social media, that tends to support Soeharto by highlighting the positive aspects, especially in terms of developmental contributions.
"Supporters of the positive sentiment narrative about Soeharto are quite vocal and have successfully created a wave of supportive conversations," said Neni.
As an example of their vocal support, she mentioned Muhammadiyah, which constructs a positive sentiment narrative about Soeharto by labeling him as the "Smiling General" and associating him with the phrase "Muhammadiyah Seed." "This narrative provides moral and social legitimacy to strengthen support for Soeharto," she said.
Negative sentiments towards Soeharto are dominated by narratives of human rights violations, suppression of freedom of expression, and reopening fresh wounds in the nation's history. Negative sentiments voiced by academics and civil society organizations and activists for human rights and democracy reached the highest percentage at 39 percent on the social media platform YouTube.
According to Neni, the high negative sentiment towards Soeharto on the YouTube platform may be influenced by in-depth narratives about Soeharto's track record, especially regarding human rights violations and policies applied during the New Order era.
"The significant difference between the results in mainstream media and social media should be taken into consideration by the government before making a decision," said Neni.
Prior to the announcement, amidst intense criticism and rejection, President Prabowo Subianto remained firm in awarding former President Soeharto the national hero title. Prabowo is Soeharto's son-in-law, having married Siti Hediati alias Titiek Soeharto.
The conferment of the national hero title to Soeharto was announced by Prabowo at the State Palace on November 10, coinciding with Heroes' Day. In addition to Soeharto, Prabowo awarded 9 other individuals with similar titles.