Rewriting National History: Does Indonesian Society Agree?

The controversy surrounding the rewriting of Indonesian history books began when the Ministry of Culture initiated the project, aiming for completion by Indonesia's 80th Independence Day.

According to *Katadata*, the project involves over 100 historians and will comprise up to 10 volumes, covering Indonesian history from the early Nusantara era to the Reformasi period. In a 30-page conceptual framework circulating, the Ministry of Culture stated that the newly prepared history books would become the "official" history.

This initiative has faced strong opposition from various parties, including the Indonesian History Openness Alliance (AKSI), comprising historians, human rights activists, community leaders, and academics. AKSI argues that writing an "official history" is unusual in a democracy.

This is because it has the potential to erase facts about past human rights abuses. "The most dangerous aspect is that this project could be used to whitewash the sins of the current regime and those of the New Order era, during which massive human rights violations occurred," said AKSI Chairman Marzuki Darusman, following a public hearing with Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) on Monday, May 19, 2025.

Regarding this controversy, Kompas Research and Development surveyed public opinion and approval levels.

The results showed that 55.4% of respondents agreed with the idea of rewriting national history. Meanwhile, 42.9% disagreed.

"The division among respondents is driven by concerns that the newly written history will erase parts of national history," wrote a Kompas Research and Development researcher in their report on Monday, August 11, 2025.

Of those who agreed with rewriting history, 55.5% argued for a more nationalistic narrative.

Then, 28.6% of respondents felt that the current national history narrative was inaccurate, and 10.6% believed that many sensitive events in Indonesian history should not be recounted.

Despite some agreement, Kompas Research and Development also found concerns about the initiative. A majority, or 86.4%, of respondents expressed worry that the plan to rewrite history could erase parts of established history.

"For the public, rewriting national history should provide space for stories from all segments of society, including the struggles of students and even those critical of the government," wrote the Kompas Research and Development researcher.

This survey involved 512 respondents from 64 cities across 38 provinces, selected randomly according to the population proportion in each province.

Data collection was conducted from July 14-17, 2025, through telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error is approximately 4.25%, with a 95% confidence level, under conditions of simple random sampling.