GOVT URGED NOT TO BE TOO HASTY IN DECLARING SOEHARTO NATIONAL HERO

Palu, C Sulawesi, Jan 31 (ANTARA) - Director of the Public Policy Study Center (PSKP) of Central Sulawesi Salehuddin Awal urged the government not to be too hasty in awarding the Hero title on late President Soeharto.
According to Salehuddin, the government needed to conduct a thorough study on all aspects and accommodate all the people's aspirations before awarding the title to Soeharto.


"Not only group aspirations, most important is reference to relevant regulations," he said in Palu Thursday.

Salehuddin that the government has been constantly inconsistent toward Soeharto who had ruled the country for 32 years, before as well as after his death.

When Soeharto was a most critical condition, there was a discourse on efforts to settle civil cases out-of-court such as relating to the "supersemar" funds, by payments of fine to the state.

This indicated the government believed that Soeharto has committed something in the past which had eventually inflicted great losses to the state. "This is merely a civil case," he said.

After the death of Soeharto, he added, the government appeared to be inclined to award him a Hero title as proposed by Golkar party.

However, Salehuddin admitted Soeharto had made meritorious contributions to the nation when he was in power such as building the country into a nation self sufficient in food, in the development of education and the economy. But democracy, law enforcement and human rights were often ignored. Hence, a comprehensive study is badly needed before awarding Soeharto a Hero title, Salahuddin said.

Earlier, State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said candidates for the Hero title had to be proposed by each province through their governors or provincial administrations.

Names had to be submitted to a Hero Assessment Body overseen by the Social Welfare Ministry. "This agency includes historians and scholars," he said.

This agency will discuss the proposed figures whether or not they really deserve a Hero title before the selected names are submitted to the House of Representatives.

The House then further discussed the selected figures before submitting them to the President. "The president usually announces the heroes on national heroes day", said Hatta who refused to comment on Soeharto's case.