THE 30-second-long television commercial presents eight national figures: Kiai Haji Hasyim Asyari, Kiai Haji Ahmad Dahlan, General Sudirman, Bung Tomo, Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta, Mohammad Natsir, and Suharto. All are referred to under the title of “heroes and teachers of the nation.”

A reference to the national figures from Hasyim Asyari to Natsir poses no problem. But Suharto? Many people were sarcastic about this. “The reform and corrupti