Fadli Zon: Soeharto's Leadership Worthy of Study for Today's Generation

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has stated that the leadership of Indonesia’s second president, Soeharto, is worthy of being used as learning material for today’s generation. According to him, Soeharto was a president who observed the realities occurring in society. “I think, if we talk about Pak Harto’s leadership, there are several characteristics that are worthy of being learning material for the current generation. The way I see Pak Harto’s leadership, firstly, it was grounded in the facts and realities of society,” Fadli Zon said during his presentation at the National Seminar on the Leadership of General Soeharto at Trilogi University, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (24/6/2026). “Moreover, the facts and realities of society at that time were in complete disarray. Pak Harto inherited a very chaotic situation from the previous regime. The economy was destroyed, inflation was over 600 percent, growth was negative, and people could not eat,” he said. Fadli revealed Soeharto’s participation in several wars to defend independence in the years after Indonesia’s proclamation. According to him, this experience shaped Soeharto’s decisiveness in making decisions. “Firm in making decisions for the interests of the people. This is what I see, and it has been proven throughout a long history. For example, Pak Harto’s physical heroism in the war to defend independence, especially in the episodes from ’45 to ’49, was extraordinary. He participated in the Battle of Ambarawa, the Five Days Battle in Semarang, and the General Offensive of 1 March 1949,” he said. “As a historian, it is very clear in the documents, including testimonies, that the flower of that battle was Pak Harto in the General Offensive of 1 March 1949,” he continued. Fadli Zon also highlighted Soeharto’s role on the international stage. He mentioned that Soeharto had served as a mediator for conflicts in several neighbouring countries. “His international achievements, as also mentioned earlier, such as ASEAN, APEC, the Non-Aligned Movement, and also as a mediator for conflicts in neighbouring countries like the Philippines and Cambodia through the Jakarta Informal Meeting,” he said. In addition, Fadli Zon stated that several of Soeharto’s economic policies could also be followed today. One of them, according to him, is the food self-sufficiency programme. “I think there are many (of Soeharto’s policies that can be applied today). The policy in the agricultural sector, for example, succeeded until we achieved food self-sufficiency in 1984. We were previously starving, then achieved food self-sufficiency, that is an extraordinary achievement,” he said.