Suharto died aged 86 of multiple organ failure on Sunday, after three weeks in hospital, leading the government to declare seven days of public mourning.

But many defied a call to fly their flags at half mast during the mourning period.

'I won't do it and people (in my neighbourhood) haven't done it. We can see the country is still in the hands of the cronies of Suharto,' said Wardah Hafidz, of the Urban Poor Consortium in Jakarta.

Ms Hafidz claimed houses in the capital's Pamalang suburb where she lived were not flying the flag.

'(The call) is really an offence to the people, because Suharto is still the worst dictator. He's committed crimes against humanity and killed millions of Indonesians,' Ms Hafidz said.

'How could the government decide he is a national hero?' she said.

Ms Binny Buchori, of civil rights organisation Prakarsa, claimed flags were sparse in her Jakarta suburb of Ragunan.

She said the lacklustre public response to the official call showed the freedoms that had been won since Suhatro stepped down as president in 1998.

Media coverage has been largely sympathetic following the former dictator's death, but Ms Buchori said that did not reflect the mood of many Indonesians.

'They don't show the indifference of people who are not following instructions (to fly flags at half mast), who are not watching the TV, people who are not affected by the death of Suharto,' Ms Buchori said.

But despite calls from activists not to mourn his death, flags have been seen flying in other areas of the capital.

In the Central Javanese city of Yogyakarta, poverty activist Awali S Thohir said that while his neighbours flew their flags at half mast on September 30 - a national day of mourning for seven former Suharto generals - most households had not yet done so for the former leader.

Indonesians are permitted to raise the national flag on special occasions such as Independence Day. -- AFP