Authoritarian Empathy and Public Memory Governance: Media Nostalgia and the Decline of Democratic Accountability in Indonesia

This commentary examines the ethical implications of Soeharto’s heroisation in Indonesia, arguing that the resurgence of authoritarian nostalgia reflects a broader crisis in public integrity. Media coverage and state rhetoric employ sentimental narratives such as “remembering the good things” to reframe authoritarian rule through emotional comfort rather than historical accountability. Digital platforms further amplify nostalgic imagery, transforming political memories into consumable effects that obscure past injustices. Regional parallels in the Philippines, Thailand, and South Korea show that emotional governance has become a transnational strategy for normalising the legacies of strongmen. These patterns reveal how empathy is redirected toward power rather than victims, eroding journalism’s moral role as a watchdog in democratic life. This commentary calls for restoring ethical memory practices and strengthening journalistic responsibility to resist sentimental nationalism, prioritise truth-telling, and protect democratic governance from soft authoritarianism. This commentary advances the concept of authoritarian empathy as a distinct form of emotional governance in which media nostalgia redirects public compassion away from victims of state violence toward rehabilitated authoritarian figures. In doing so, it weakens democratic accountability and undermines public integrity.