Alright, let’s dive into this whole history book situation in Indonesia. So, the government is planning to release some new history books, right? But here’s the catch – some folks are worried that these books might paint President Prabowo Subianto and the late authoritarian ruler Suharto in a pretty positive light. Like, are we really gonna rewrite history just to make a couple of dudes look good?
So, this 10-volume series of books is supposed to have an Indonesia-centric narrative, according to Culture Minister Fadli Zon. The goal? To basically give Indonesia a whole new identity. Sounds kinda intense, right? But hold up, some historians are raising red flags about this whole thing. They’re concerned that these books could be a prime opportunity for some sneaky historical revisionism. And get this – a lot of younger folks in Indonesia don’t really know much about Suharto’s rule from 1966 to 1998. So, like, they could be easily influenced by whatever is in these new books.
Now, here’s where it gets juicy. Prabowo, who used to be married to Suharto’s daughter (small world, huh?), is all about praising the guy. And to top it off, he’s starting to rely heavily on the military to make his government’s dreams come true. But wait, there’s more! Prabowo has some serious allegations against him from his military days, like supposedly being involved in kidnapping student activists during riots in 1998. But hey, he keeps denying it, and Fadli says it’s all been debunked. So, who knows what the truth really is, right? Asvi Warman Adam, a big-shot historian, is telling academics to step up and make sure these new books aren’t just full of propaganda. Sounds like a real rollercoaster of a situation in Indonesia, huh? But hey, that’s politics for you.
