Prabowo’s textbook overhaul plan fuels revisionism fears
President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to overhaul school textbooks has raised concerns that the government could use the revisions to further its controversial project to reshape Indonesia’s history, which critics have accused of downplaying human rights violations committed during the New Order era.
Prabowo Subianto's proposal to revise school textbooks has sparked worries that the Indonesian government may exploit the changes to promote its agenda of reinterpreting the country's history. Critics allege that this initiative aims to downplay human rights abuses that occurred during the New Order era, which was led by Prabowo's ex-in-laws the Soeharto presidency.
The government announced plans to revise textbooks spanning elementary to senior high school levels, concentrating on content related to "nationalism and nationhood." Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the overhaul would also encompass the books' physical appearance, such as replacing materials prone to damage and enhancing smaller print sizes.
An interministerial team has been established to manage the textbook revision project. Simultaneously, the government is set to unveil a government-endorsed history book encompassing the timeframe from prehistory to the early years of Prabowo's tenure. This project, led by the Culture Ministry and compiled by over 100 historians in 2025, has drawn criticism from academics and rights activists.
They argue that the government intends to establish an "official history" that glosses over troubling periods in Indonesia's past, particularly under the Soeharto regime. Reports have emerged indicating that a draft of the history book omitted references to mass rapes that took place during the May 1998 riots preceding Soeharto's resignation.
Culture Minister Fadli Zon later refuted these allegations as "rumors" and asserted that the book aimed to emphasize the accomplishments of former presidents.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
