The Red-and-White Cabinet’s programs never fail to capture public attention. One of them is the history rewriting project initiated by the Ministry of Culture. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon argued that current Indonesian history books are no longer relevant and therefore need to be updated.

The project will produce 10 volumes of official history books that will later serve as the main reference for Indonesian history. It involves 113 writers and requires a budget of around Rp 9 billion. Initially, the new history books were scheduled for release on August 17, 2025, but the launch has been postponed to November 10, 2025.

Even before its release, the history rewriting project has sparked heated debate. This is because several major human rights violations are absent from the outline of the new books. The 1965 and 1998 events—considered highly crucial—are not included.

In response, Fadli Zon said he wanted Indonesian history to be written with a positive tone. The situation worsened when he denied the occurrence of mass rapes in May 1998. His statement drew sharp criticism from human rights organizations, historians, and even parliament.

Various groups have demanded that the history rewriting project be stopped. One such group, the Indonesian Historical Transparency Alliance (AKSI), considered the project an attempt at whitewashing.

Public Sentiment on Social Media

We conducted social media monitoring on the issue from May 10 to August 12, 2025. Using Socindex, a big data–powered social media monitoring tool, we analyzed 18,404 conversation samples across five platforms (X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok).

The analysis shows that negative sentiment dominates, with 15,616 conversations (85%). This high number reflects strong public rejection of the project. Neutral sentiment ranks second at 9%, mostly consisting of news content without a clear stance. Positive sentiment is the smallest, at 6%, mostly supporting Fadli Zon and the rewriting project.

What Triggered Netizens’ Anger?

From the moment Fadli Zon announced the rewriting project, netizens reacted negatively. For instance, TikTok user @virdianaurellio called the project propaganda, sparking doubts about the accuracy of history books taught in schools.

The peak of public anger came when Fadli Zon denied the occurrence of mass rapes during the 1998 riots. This statement triggered a storm of condemnation online. Analysis shows that criticism of this statement became the most-discussed issue.

Most netizens firmly believe that mass rapes did occur in 1998. Tempo’s coverage of the tragedy further reinforced their conviction, pushing many to recall the death of activist Ita Martadinata as part of events that need full investigation.

Several public figures also criticized Fadli Zon’s remarks, including singer INDAHKUS, who voiced her concern on X.

Worries about propaganda grew stronger after Fadli Zon’s statement. Instagram user @fathianpujakesuma suggested that the mass rape events would be deliberately omitted to protect those in power.

As a result, many netizens demanded Fadli Zon resign as Minister of Culture. Writer Soe Tjen Marching and the organization Bareng Warga even launched a petition urging his resignation.

A Wave of Support for Fadli Zon

Amid the massive negative reactions, there was also some support for Fadli Zon. Our analysis found 1,026 positive posts on X, with similar narratives—arguing that he did not deny the rapes but only questioned the use of the word “mass.”

Certain hashtags were also spread widely to strengthen this support. Socindex recorded 262 posts using #LawanKekerasanWanita on X.

Overall, support for Fadli Zon was relatively small and appeared mostly on X. This pattern indicates possible involvement of buzzer accounts trying to improve his image. However, the effort was not strong enough to change public perception of him or the project.

Epilogue: Time for the Government to Reevaluate Its Public Communication

The backlash against the history rewriting project stems not only from policy content but also from poor communication. Statements that seem to dismiss sensitive tragedies provoke public outrage. If this communication pattern continues, the government’s reputation may suffer further.

In crisis situations, the government tends to focus solely on calming polemics while neglecting empathy in its messaging. From a public relations perspective, empathy is crucial for crisis resolution and regaining public trust. Therefore, the government must build communication strategies that prioritize empathy and accuracy.

Writer: Risma Cahyani (Socindex), Ilustrator: Aan K. Riyadi