Suharto

Suharto was an Indonesian army officer and politician who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998. He rose to power after a failed coup attempt by the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) in 1965, which he blamed on his predecessor Sukarno and used as a pretext to launch a mass killing of communists and their sympathizers. He then assumed the presidency in 1967 and established a system of "New Order" which gave him more power and control over the country. He pursued a foreign policy of anti-communism and alignment with the West, and supported the US involvement in the Vietnam War. He also initiated several ambitious development projects, such as the Transmigration program, the Green Revolution, the Family Planning program, and the Dwiwarna system. However, his rule was also marked by corruption, nepotism, human rights violations, and environmental degradation. He faced opposition from various groups, such as the Islamic parties, the student movement, the East Timorese resistance, and the Acehnese separatists. He was eventually forced to resign by a popular uprising in 1998, following the Asian financial crisis that crippled the Indonesian economy. He was put on trial for corruption and human rights abuses, but his ill health prevented him from being convicted. He died in 2008 and was buried with full military honors. He is regarded as a controversial figure in Indonesian history, with some praising him for his economic achievements and stability, and others condemning him for his authoritarianism and atrocities.