Suharto

General of the Army (Ret.) Suharto
Official portrait, 1993
2nd President of Indonesia
In office 12 March 1967 – 21 May 1998[a] Acting until 27 March 1968
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 – 17 October 1967
President	Sukarno Himself (acting)
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 Sarbini Martodihardjo [id] Succeeded by Maraden Panggabean 1st and 4th Commander of Kopkamtib In office 28 January 1974 – 17 April 1978 President Himself Preceded by General Sumitro Sastrodihardjo 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. Gen. Ahmad Yani Maj. Gen. Pranoto Reksosamudro (acting) Succeeded by General Maraden Panggabean 1st Commander of the Strategic Reserve In office 6 March 1961 – 2 December 1965 President Sukarno Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Maj. Gen. Umar Wirahadikusumah
Personal details
Born	(1921-06-08)8 June 1921 Bantoel, 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, Titiek, and Tommy Suharto
Parents	Kertosudiro (father) Sukirah (mother)
Alma mater	KNIL Kadetschool
Occupation	Politician army officer
Signature
Nicknames	Pak Harto Smiling General
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 426 Battalion rebellion Makassar uprising PRRI rebellion Permesta rebellion West New Guinea dispute Operation Trikora Operation Dwikora 30 September Movement Indonesian mass killings
Awards	List of awards
Service no.	10684[2]
Suharto's voice Suharto announces his resignation following the 1997 Asian financial crisis and May 1998 riots. Recorded 21 May 1998

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 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 (spouse and first lady) Children Tutut Titiek Tommy Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video
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Suharto^[b][c] (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian military officer and politician who served as the second and longest-serving president of Indonesia.

Suharto was born in Kemusuk, near the city of Yogyakarta, during the Dutch colonial era.^[3] He grew up in humble circumstances.^[4] 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, Suharto served in the Japanese-organized Indonesian security forces. During Indonesia's independence struggle, he joined the newly formed Indonesian Army and 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. The army subsequently led a nationwide violent anti-communist purge.^[5][6] In March 1967, the MPRS appointed Suharto as acting President, and he was appointed President the following year.^[7] When Suharto came to power, inflation was running at over 650%. He appointed an economic advisory group that implemented free market policies, and by 1969 the country entered a period of price stability.^[8] Suharto ordered an invasion of East Timor in 1975, followed by a deadly 23-year occupation of the country and genocide.^[9]

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 centred around him^{[clarification needed]}.^[10] 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, improved levels of education, and an awakening of domestic entrepreneurship.^[11][12] As a result, in 1982, he was named “Father of Development” by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).^[13][14] In 1986, Suharto was awarded the Ceres Medal by the United Nations FAO for efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in rice.^[15] By the 1990s, the New Order's increasing authoritarianism and alleged widespread corruption^[16][17] 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 received a state military funeral with full honors. The Indonesian government declared a week of national mourning with many world leaders paying tribute to him.^[18][19][20]

Suharto's 31-year presidency and legacy are highly divisive, and he remains a controversial figure within the Indonesian general public. He has been praised for making Indonesia into an economic success story, bringing stability to the region particularly during the Cold War period, and led Indonesia when it played a significant role in international affairs.^[18][19][21] However, others have denounced his authoritarian rule,^[22][23][24] alleged corruption,^[d] and extensive human rights violations (such as a violent anti-communist purge prior to his rule and subsequent repression of Chinese culture in Indonesia).^[28][29][30] Plans to award the status of National Hero to Suharto are being considered by the Indonesian government and have been debated vigorously.^[31][32]

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