'Leftist' books safe as planned raids canceled<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Members of the Anti-Communist Coalition (AAK)
\nmade visits to a number of major bookstores here on Saturday, but
\nthe alliance did not act on its earlier threat to raid them for
\nleftist titles on Sunday.<\/p>\n
AAK visited the Jakarta branches of well-known bookstores on
\nSaturday to thank them for removing leftist books from their
\nshelves in response to the group's threats.<\/p>\n
\"We would like to express our gratitude to Gunung Agung and
\nGramedia bookstores for heeding the people's demand positively by
\nwithdrawing books regarded as leftist,\" AAK secretary-general
\nNaufal Dunggio was quoted by Koridor.com as saying.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Suaib Didu, the chairman of the Islamic Youth
\nMovement (GPI), a part of AAK, said on Sunday that his
\norganization did not conduct any searches on Sunday as it had
\nearlier warned because the bookstores here had removed the books
\non communism from their shelves.<\/p>\n
\"For this, we are thankful,\" Suaib told The Jakarta Post on
\nSunday.<\/p>\n
Earlier, anticommunist groups had warned bookstore owners here
\nthat they would conduct major searches for leftist books
\ndisplayed on their shelves on National Awakening Day, which fell
\non Sunday.<\/p>\n
The groups had earlier threatened to burn any leftist titles
\nfound in the stores.<\/p>\n
Suaib said GPI members had been checking bookstores since May
\n2, 2001. \"When we found any leftist titles, we neither burned
\nthem nor confiscated them. We bought them.\"<\/p>\n
He noted that since May 2, GPI members had bought some 20
\nbooks from Jakarta bookstores.<\/p>\n
When asked if his members had burned the books, Suaib said his
\nmembers studied them instead.<\/p>\n
\"We need to know which books need to be republished, and which
\ndo not. If they are republished, then we have to decide if they
\nshould be for sale, or just for students at schools or
\nuniversities. These are some of the questions AAK needs to find
\nout,\" Suaib said.<\/p>\n
He added that regardless of the results AAK made from its
\nresearch, it would hand over the results to the National Police
\nHeadquarters and the Attorney General's Office.<\/p>\n
A group comprising authors, poets, journalists and activists
\nstaged a rally at the Proclamation Monument on Sunday to protest
\nthe campaign against the books. Participants included Franz
\nMagnis-Suseno, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Fikri Jufri, Sabam Siagian,
\nRatna Sarumpaet and Nono Anwar Makarim.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairman of Betawi Youth Forum, Rahmat H.S.,
\nsaid the search for books on communism would continue, and he
\nurged the National Police to seize them.<\/p>\n
\"We are not bluffing. We will continue the search for these
\nbooks,\" Rahmat told the Post. Betawi Youth Forum is also a member
\nof the AAK alliance.<\/p>\n
Rahmat added that the alliance had sent a letter to National
\nPolice chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro advising him to order the
\nbooks seized, which he claimed were in violation of the 1966
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly's decree on the banning of the
\nIndonesian Communist Party (PKI) and its ideologies.<\/p>\n
He said the alliance had given the police seven days to take
\n\"stern action against bookstore owners selling leftist books\".<\/p>\n
However, he said, before conducting the search, members of the
\nalliance would have a dialog on Saturday with people whom the
\nalliance considered as \"leftist\", such as philosopher Franz
\nMagnis-Suseno and political scientist Hermawan Sulistyo.<\/p>\n
Franz's book, titled Pemikiran Karl Marx (Thoughts of Karl
\nMarx), and Hermawan's Palu Arit (Hammer and Sickle), were among
\nthe books earlier burned by members of the alliance.<\/p>\n
City police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Yacob said on Saturday
\nthat he had instructed the heads of Jakarta police stations to
\ndeploy personnel around major bookstores across the capital to
\nprevent any security disturbances.<\/p>\n
\"My intelligence officers also summoned two GPI members, and
\nhad a chat with them. In short, we told them not to take any
\nharsh action against the general public, or do anything to
\nprovoke chaos,\" Sofjan said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Batam, Riau, bookstores are reportedly cashing in
\non the sudden interest of \"leftist\" books.<\/p>\n
A store keeper at Lucky Media book store said books such as
\nRevolusi Indonesia by Franz Magnis Suseno, Catatan Revolusi
\nRakyat by Che Guevara, Kronik Revolusi Indonesia and Rumah Kaca's
\nPramudya Ananta Toer were selling well.<\/p>\n
\"We're still displaying them because many people look for
\nthem,\" storekeeper Anwar said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He added that between two to four such books were sold each
\nday.<\/p>\n
Barelang Police Detective chief Adj. Comr. Bahagia Dachi said
\npolice are on alert but doubts if anti-communist groups plan to
\ndo anything in Batam.<\/p>\n
\"We have not found any indication of the AAK groups operating
\nhere,\" he told the Post on Saturday. (26\/ylt\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/leftist-books-safe-as-planned-raids-canceled-1447893297",
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