ABRI names faces behind incidents<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) announced the names of
\nthree people whom it has identified with the \"formless\"
\norganizations that have been blamed for recent acts of
\nprovocation.<\/p>\n
ABRI Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Soeyono identified the
\nthree as author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, scholar George Aditjondro
\nand labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan.<\/p>\n
\"These are not rumors. These are the facts,\" Soeyono told
\nreporters at his office.<\/p>\n
\"The organizations change their form constantly but the people
\nbehind them are always the same,\" he said. \"Their objective is
\nclear: to topple the government, split ABRI and set ABRI against
\nthe people, and destroy this nation.\"<\/p>\n
Asked whether ABRI intends to take any action against the
\nthree men, he responded: \"Don't be surprised if one of these days
\nABRI declares them as enemies. If they continue with their fight,
\nthey will have to deal with ABRI.\"<\/p>\n
President Soeharto and senior government and military
\nofficials in the past week have issued several warnings about the
\nexistence of \"formless\" organizations whose activities bear the
\nhallmarks of the now-outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).<\/p>\n
These organizations, they say, are preying on young people to
\nspread communist teachings under the guise of democracy and human
\nrights issues. ABRI has also linked some recent incidents of
\nagitation to the activities of these \"formless\" organizations.<\/p>\n
Until yesterday, however, they refrained from disclosing
\nnames.<\/p>\n
Pramoedya, Indonesia's most renowned writer abroad, received
\nthe prestigious Magsaysay award for literature last month. The
\naward prompted criticism from some fellow writers who recalled
\nPramoedya's campaign in the 1960s to clamp down on writers and
\nartists opposing communism.<\/p>\n
Soeyono also underlined Pramoedya's membership in Lekra, the
\nPKI's cultural wing, as one reason to be suspicious of his recent
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Muchtar is the chairman of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor
\nUnion (SBSI), an organization still not recognized by the
\ngovernment. Muchtar was recently acquitted by the Supreme Court
\nof charges of inciting last year's labor riot in Medan, North
\nSumatra.<\/p>\n
\"Muchtar is a PKI,\" Soeyono said, adding that Mucthar's father
\nled the bloody, PKI-sponsored worker strike in Bandarbesi in
\nNorth Sumatra in the 1960s.<\/p>\n
Wanted<\/p>\n
George, a vocal scholar who is wanted by the police for
\nallegedly making remarks that insulted President Soeharto, is
\ncurrently teaching and conducting research in Australia.<\/p>\n
Soeyono described George as falling into the lesser \"B
\nCategory\", usually reserved for hardcore communists.<\/p>\n
After the PKI was banned in 1966, the government put former
\nPKI members into different categories. Category A for hardcore
\ncommunists who took direct part in the 1965 abortive coup,
\nCategory B for hardcore communists who did not have a direct
\nrole, and so on.<\/p>\n
\"Look at what Aditjondro and Pramoedya wrote in the Australia-
\nbased Progress magazine as well as Aditjondro's recent comments
\nwhich appeared on the Internet,\" Soeyono said.<\/p>\n
Soeyono warned the three men, who are now on ABRI's black
\nlist, to stop their acts of provocation.<\/p>\n
He also criticized those people, particularly the young, who
\nhave expressed support for or come to the defense of the three
\nmen.<\/p>\n
Those people born after 1965 should improve their
\nunderstanding of the nation's history lest they fall under the
\ninfluence of these \"formless\" organizations, he said.<\/p>\n
He expressed his concern with the many young people who,
\npuzzled by ABRI's relentless warnings of latent communist
\ndangers, have asked: \"Is the communist danger really that bad?\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an organization of former student leaders whose
\ndemonstrations in 1966 led to the banning of the PKI, yesterday
\nurged the government to renew its campaign to purge the nation of
\ncommunists and their sympathizers, whom, they say, have
\ninfiltrated the top levels of the bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
The group, called Laskar Arief Rachman Hakim, said government
\nagencies should begin now and not wait around for the military to
\nconduct a screening.<\/p>\n
The group's chairman, Djusril Djusan, told reporters that the
\ngroup has a list of names of former PKI members and its
\nsupporters who are now holding top government positions.<\/p>\n
He recalled that before it was banned, the PKI had three
\nmillion members and over 21 million sympathizers.<\/p>\n
\"We should know where they are now and what they do,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Djusril, however, declined to give any names. (rms\/imn)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/abri-names-faces-behind-incidents-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }