May 23, 2025
JAKARTA – Culture Minister Fadli Zon’s plan to launch a newly rewritten history of Indonesia by Aug. 17, in time for the nation’s 80th Independence Day, is sparking both anticipation and controversy. Described as a “special gift”, the initiative raises questions about whether it will unify the nation or ignite a new round of debate, especially given this nation’s historical precedents of “victors writing history” and concerns that “rewriting the past” can be instrumentalized by populists.
The timing is particularly notable as President Prabowo Subianto, who is also Fadli’s boss at the Gerindra Party, assumed power after winning the 2024 election…