Suharto

Suharto
Official portrait, 1993
2nd President of Indonesia
In office 27 March 1968 – 21 May 1998[a]
Vice President	See list Hamengkubuwono IX (1973–1978) Adam Malik (1978–1983) Umar Wirahadikusumah (1983–1988) Sudharmono (1988–1993) Try Sutrisno (1993–1998) B. J. Habibie (1998)
Preceded by	Sukarno
Succeeded by	B. J. Habibie
Chairman of the Cabinet Presidium
In office 25 July 1966 – 11 October 1967
President	Sukarno Himself
Preceded by	Sukarno (as Prime Minister)
Succeeded by	Office abolished
16th Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement
In office 7 September 1992 – 20 October 1995
Preceded by	Dobrica Ćosić
Succeeded by	Ernesto Samper
Additional offices 13th Minister of Defense and Security In office 28 March 1966 – 9 September 1971 President Sukarno Himself Preceded by Mas Sarbini Succeeded by Maraden Panggabean 1st and 4th Commander of Kopkamtib In office 28 January 1974 – 17 April 1978 President Himself Preceded by General Sumitro Succeeded by Admiral Sudomo In office 5 October 1965 – 19 November 1969 President Sukarno Himself Preceded by Office established Succeeded by General Maraden Panggabean 5th Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia In office 6 June 1968 – 28 March 1973 President Himself Preceded by General Abdul Haris Nasution (1966) Succeeded by General Maraden Panggabean 7th Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army In office 16 October 1965 – 1 May 1968 President Sukarno Himself Preceded by Lt. General Ahmad Yani Major General Pranoto Reksosamudro (acting) Succeeded by General Maraden Panggabean 1st Commander of the General Reserve In office 6 March 1961 – 2 December 1965 President Sukarno Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Major General Umar Wirahadikusumah
Personal details
Born	(1921-06-08)8 June 1921 Kemusuk, Bantoel Regentschap, Yogyakarta, Dutch East Indies
Died	27 January 2008(2008-01-27) (aged 86) Jakarta, Indonesia
Resting place	Astana Giribangun
Political party	Golkar
Height	168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Spouse	Siti Hartinah ​ ​ (m. 1947; died 1996)​
Children	6, including Tutut Suharto, Titiek, and Tommy Suharto
Parents	Kertosudiro (father) Sukirah (mother)
Education	Schakel Muhammadiyah
Alma mater	KNIL Kadetschool
Occupation	Politician army officer
Signature
Nicknames	Smiling General Pak Harto
Military service
Allegiance	Dutch East Indies Empire of Japan Indonesia
Branch/service	Dutch East Indies Army Defenders of the Homeland Indonesian Army
Years of service	1940–1974
Rank	General of the army
Unit	Infantry (Kostrad)
Commands	See list Kodam IV/Diponegoro Kostrad/Caduad Indonesian Army Kopkamtib Indonesian Armed Forces
Battles/wars	See list Indonesian National Revolution Battle of Kotabaru Battle of Ambarawa Operation Product Madiun Affair Operation Kraai March offensive Darul Islam rebellion Makassar uprising PRRI rebellion Permesta rebellion West New Guinea dispute Operation Trikora Operation Dwikora 30 September Movement Indonesian mass killings
Awards	Full list
Service no.	10684[2]

This article is part of a series about Suharto
2nd President of Indonesia Pre-Presidency Early life and career Military service Japanese occupation National Revolution Operation Product Madiun Affair Operation Kraai General Offensive Makassar Uprising Post-Independence Rise to power 30 September Movement Commander of Kopkamtib Mass killings Supersemar Political manoeuvring Acting Presidency "New Order" Inauguration Cabinets First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Golkar Dwifungsi Aspri Angkatan 66 Berkeley Mafia Elections 1971 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 1999 Domestic policy Chinese discrimination Malari incident Petition of Fifty Tanjung Priok massacre Petrus Killings Foreign policy Act of Free Choice East Timor Invasion Occupation Genocide Santa Cruz massacre ASEAN Downfall Background 27 July 1996 incident Asian financial crisis Trisakti shootings May 1998 riots Resignation Post-presidency Corruption charges Illness and death Family Siti Hartinah (wife and first lady) Children Tutut Sigit Bambang Titiek Tommy Mamiek Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video
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Suharto^[b] (/suːˈhɑːrtoʊ/ soo-HAR-toh, Indonesian: [suˈharto] ^ⓘ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian military officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving President of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto led Indonesia as an authoritarian regime from the fall of his predecessor Sukarno in 1967 until his resignation in 1998 following nationwide unrest.^[3][4][5] His 31-year dictatorship is considered one of the most brutal and corrupt of the 20th century, as he was central to the perpetration of mass killings against alleged communists, ethnic Chinese, irreligious people and trade unionists.^[6][7][8]

Suharto was born in the small village of Kemusuk, in the Godean area near the city of Yogyakarta, during the Dutch colonial era.^[9] He grew up in humble circumstances.^[10] His Javanese Muslim parents divorced not long after his birth, and he lived with foster parents for much of his childhood. During the Japanese occupation era, Suharto served in the Japanese-organized Indonesian security forces. During Indonesia's independence struggle, he joined the newly formed Indonesian Army. There, Suharto rose to the rank of major general some time after full Indonesian independence was achieved.

An attempted coup on 30 September and 1 October 1965 was countered by Suharto-led troops. According to official reports, this attempt was backed by the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI).^[11] The army subsequently led a nationwide violent anti-communist purge and Suharto wrested power from Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno. He was appointed acting president in 1967 and elected president the following year. He then mounted a social campaign known as "de-Sukarnoization" to reduce the former president's influence. Suharto ordered an invasion of East Timor in 1975, followed by a deadly 23-year occupation of the country. Support for Suharto's presidency was active throughout the 1970s and 1980s. By the 1990s, the New Order's increasing authoritarianism and widespread corruption^[12][13] were a source of discontent and, following the 1997 Asian financial crisis which led to widespread unrest, he resigned in May 1998. Suharto died in January 2008 and was given a state funeral.

Under his "New Order" administration, Suharto constructed a strong, centralised and military-dominated government. What started as an oligarchic military dictatorship evolved into a personalistic authoritarian regime centered around Suharto.^[14] An ability to maintain stability over a sprawling and diverse Indonesia and an avowedly anti-communist stance won him the economic and diplomatic support of the West during the Cold War. For most of his presidency, Indonesia experienced significant industrialisation, economic growth, and improved levels of educational attainment.^[15][16] As a result, he was given the title "Father of Development".^[17] According to Transparency International, Suharto was one of the most corrupt leaders in modern history, having embezzled an alleged US$15–35 billion during his rule.^[18][19]

Suharto remains a controversial and divisive figure within the Indonesian general public. Many Indonesians have praised his New Order leadership for its economic development, rapid industrialization, and perceived political stability, while others have denounced his authoritarian rule and rampant corruption.^[20][21] Plans to award the status of National Hero to Suharto are being considered by the Indonesian government and have been debated vigorously in Indonesia.^[22]

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