Attempts to dodge Sukarno questioned<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairperson of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI), gave a belated response to the
\nrecent polemic about the role her father, Indonesia's first
\npresident Sukarno, played in the events before and after the
\ncommunist attempt to grab power in 1965.<\/p>\n
\"Isn't it enough for this nation of 50 years old to continue
\ndodging Bung Karno,\" Megawati told reporters on Monday referring
\nto the popular name her father was often called.<\/p>\n
The polemic, she said, has raised questions about the
\nconsistent way in which the nation respected Sukarno, who was
\nposthumously dubbed a national hero for his role in proclaiming
\nIndonesia's independence in 1945.<\/p>\n
Sukarno was removed from power in 1967 after months of
\npolitical turmoil sparked by the communist plot to wrest power on
\nSept. 30, 1965. He died in disgrace in 1970 but his name was
\nreinstated by the government of President Soeharto in 1986 when
\nhe was conferred with the title of \"Proclamation Hero\" along with
\nMohammad Hatta, Indonesia's first vice president.<\/p>\n
The two have been immortalized and Jakarta's international
\nairport has been named after them.<\/p>\n
The polemic about Sukarno's role in the tumultuous months
\nbetween Oct. 1965 to his downfall in 1967 was reopened with the
\npublication of a book by one of his admirers, columnist Manai
\nSophiaan, last month who said that Sukarno was no communist.<\/p>\n
A white book on the events surrounding those events issued on
\nOct. 1 by the State Secretariat however depicts Sukarno as
\ndefending the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) to the point of
\ntrying to absolve it of any guilt in the Sept. 1965 plot.<\/p>\n
One entire chapter of the book is devoted to the way Sukarno
\nreacted or responded to the series of events between 1965 and
\n1967.<\/p>\n
Founder<\/p>\n
Megawati said she found the conferring of the hero title and
\nthe attempt to dodge her father as inconsistent.<\/p>\n
\"Bung Karno is the founder of this republic and nation,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Regarding the white paper, Megawati said she has not read it
\nand has not received a copy of the book.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, former vice president Sudharmono said that the
\nwhite book is intended to set the record straight about the
\nevents surrounding the communist plot.<\/p>\n
This, he added, is the final version, but he did not rule out
\nthe possibility of revising it if any accurate evidence is
\npresented.<\/p>\n
Manai's book has spawned off another debate, this one about
\nhis allegations that student leaders who mobilized massive anti-
\nSukarno street demonstrations in 1966 and 1967 received CIA
\nfunding.<\/p>\n
The student leaders grouped in the Laskar Arief Rachman Hakim
\nhave denied the accusation and plan to bring Manai to court for
\ndefamation.<\/p>\n
The Laskar is planning to hold its five-year congress in
\nJakarta this week and Manai's accusation will be addressed,
\naccording to the group's proponents. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/attempts-to-dodge-sukarno-questioned-1447893297",
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