Indonesia History Rewrite: The Long, Debated Journey

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon officially launched the government’s comprehensive new edition of Indonesian history, titled ‘Sejarah Indonesia: Dinamika Kebangsaan dalam Arus Global’ (Indonesian History: National Dynamics in the Global Flow). This book is part of the state-led project to rewrite the nation’s history.

Fadli acknowledged that the writing of this history book has been controversial. A number of people asked for the project to be stopped. However, Fadli saw this feedback as a normal part of the democratic process.

"There was a controversy to stop the historical writers. But that's normal," Fadli said during a speech on Sunday, December 14, 2025, as seen on the Ministry of Culture's YouTube channel.

The Gerindra Party politician maintained that the book underwent a rigorous development process. He claimed that the Ministry of Culture facilitated 113 professional Indonesian historians. "So this is written by the experts, Indonesian historians," Fadli stated. "This is not written by me."

He stressed that the book is meant to be a reliable source for the public to learn about the nation's past. He claimed that the book received input from many groups and was discussed publicly with professors from universities and historians.

Progress and Setbacks of the History Rewrite Project

The history rewriting project started in January 2025, involving 123 writers from 34 universities and 11 other organizations. The project resulted in a total of 7,958 pages divided into 10 volumes.

Despite the comprehensive effort, the book’s release faced multiple delays. Initially slated for release on August 17, 2025, to coincide with the 80th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, the publication was postponed due to various processes, including public trials in academic forums. It was then rescheduled for Heroes' Day, November 10, 2025, before finally being officially launched on December 14, 2025.

"We have had public trials, and now we are doing readings. Maybe there will be two to three more seminars," Fadli Zon had stated after a ceremony at the Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta on Sunday, August 10, 2025.

Controversies of the Indonesian History Rewrite

The history rewrite has sparked widespread controversy, largely due to concerns that certain historical facts, specifically regarding serious human rights violations, were omitted from initial drafts. Critics fear the project represents history being tailored to the interests of the current rulers, aiming to excessively glorify the past.

Usman Hamid, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, expressed concern that labeling the project "official history" risks limiting diverse interpretations. He warned that state-sanctioned history has the potential to become a tool for deifying individuals and excessively glorifying the past.

This policy, he argued, risks manipulating history by erasing events and figures that do not align with the ruling powers. "Such actions are historical manipulation. No matter how dark history is, it must be written, even if it has an impact on humanitarian tragedies and reveals mistakes in the state's past policies," Usman stated in a release by the Indonesian Historical Openness Alliance (AKSI) on Monday, May 19, 2025.

Fadli Zon defended the project, stating that the rewritten history aims to prioritize an Indonesia-centric perspective—removing colonial biases, unifying the nation, and making history relevant to the younger generation. He clarified that the goal is to write Indonesian history with a positive tone that highlights achievements and successes.

"If you want to seek errors or negativity, yes, I think that’s always there. So, what we want is the tone of our history to be positive, from the era of Bung Karno to the era of President Jokowi and so on," Fadli said on June 6, 2025.

The History Rewrite Seen as Attempt to Cover Up Regime Crimes

Criticism has also come directly from human rights activists, including Suciwati, the widow of the late activist Munir Said Thalib. Suciwati believes that the rewriting effort could lead only to fabrication, particularly concerning severe human rights violations in Indonesia's past.

She suggested that the history rewrite only serves to legitimize the covering up of past regime wrongdoing and promote a sanitized narrative of the existing power structure. "Because we see a trend in this history writing to only cleanse the sins of Prabowo," Suciwati said at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, on Friday, August 15, 2025.

Suciwati expressed profound skepticism, arguing that successive leaders consistently write lies about severe human rights cases. The consistent failure of these leaders to materialize promises to resolve past human rights violations, she stated, reinforces her belief that these cases have never been seriously addressed.

"Even in the case of Munir, how many times has the president promised? We see that it's also just a lie. What can we hope for?" she concluded.