• The Indonesian government plans new history books that may omit critical events such as the 1998 anti-Chinese riots.
• Scholars and activists fear the government is rewriting history to whitewash past abuses.
• The project has already faced internal dissent, with some academics resigning over its content and direction.
• Concerns have been raised about the potential erasure of uncomfortable truths regarding human rights violations.
• Activists warn that this could misinform younger generations about their country's past.

The Indonesian government's initiative to produce new history books has sparked significant concern that important events, particularly the deadly 1998 riots targeting ethnic Chinese, will be excluded from these texts. The 10-volume historical account is being overseen by President Prabowo Subianto's administration, amidst fears that it could serve as a tool for rewriting history and concealing past abuses, according to South China Morning Post, Dawn, and The Jakarta Post.

Concerns came to a head when culture minister Fadli Zon stated that the upcoming volumes "do not discuss May '98... because it's small.” This dismissive comment has drawn widespread criticism from historians and civil society figures who argue that such omissions reflect a dangerous tendency to whitewash historical facts, particularly concerning the abuses that occurred during Suharto's regime, according to South China Morning Post and The Jakarta Post.

The project has also attracted attention due to a lack of transparency and a perceived political influence over the editorial process. Jajat Burhanudin, an editor on the project, claimed that the new volumes would indeed address the 1998 events, calling the current outlines merely a "trigger for discussion." However, many remain skeptical, citing a history of government attempts to manipulate educational content for political ends, as reported by Dawn and The Jakarta Post.

Moreover, the historical revisions are set against the backdrop of troubling public statements regarding accountability for past human rights violations. For instance, Fadli has questioned the occurrence of mass rapes during the 1998 riots, asking in an interview, "Was there really mass rape? There was never any proof." This stance contradicts findings from a 1998 fact-finding report, which documented at least 52 cases of rape linked to the unrest, according to South China Morning Post and The Jakarta Post.

The initiative has led to backlash from various sectors, with calls for its suspension due to the perceived risks of "erasing uncomfortable truths." Maria Catarina Sumarsih, an activist whose son was killed in state violence, stated, “The government is deceiving the public… especially young people,” signaling a broader concern about the impact of such revisions on the younger generations' understanding of their history, according to Dawn and The Jakarta Post.