Protesters condemn communism<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Hundreds of protesters staged an anti-communism rally at the
\nNational Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta on Sunday in
\ncommemoration of the bloody 1965 abortive coup, which is blamed
\non the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).<\/p>\n
The rally, led by former East Timorese militia leader Eurico
\nGuterres, demanded that communism be wiped out of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I joined the rally because, as a child of Indonesia, I obey
\nrules as stated in the law...and I call upon the government to
\nmake it clear that the Sept. 30 coup attempt was carried out by
\nthe communists,\" Guterres said.<\/p>\n
Former president Soeharto, who was an unpopular general,
\nmanaged to foil an attempted coup against founding president
\nSukarno. A year later he replaced Sukarno amid the chaos that had
\nenveloped the capital and other parts of the country.<\/p>\n
The coup attempt was officially blamed on the PKI. The
\naccusation triggered a wave of vengeance against the communists,
\nin which more than half a million people are believed to have
\ndied.<\/p>\n
After staging protests and speeches at Monas Park, the
\nprotesters, who consisted of activists from the Red-and-White
\nDefenders Front, the Hizbollah Front, the 1966 Youth Exponent,
\nthe Anti-communist Alliance and the Tarbiyah Youth, moved on to
\nthe Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. They dispersed peacefully at
\nabout 12:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Yogyakarta hundreds of activists attended an
\nanti-communism mass prayer on Sunday at Diponegoro Monument,
\nwarning of the possible revival of communism in the country.<\/p>\n
Newly-elected Mayor of Yogyakarta Herry Zudianto was among
\nthose participating in the prayer.<\/p>\n
The ritual was attended by activists from various
\norganizations, including the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front
\n(FAKI), Indonesian Anti-Communist Movement (BAKI) and Anti-
\nCommunist Force Movement (Gepako).<\/p>\n
A leader of the United Development Party (PPP), Mudrick
\nSetiawan Muhammad Sangidu, who is also chairman of Surakarta's
\nAnti-Communist Front, was among the speakers at the event.<\/p>\n
Mudrick said that the recent establishment of numerous anti-
\ncommunist fronts was in fact a reaction to what former president
\nAbdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid had done to try to revive communism
\nin the country.<\/p>\n
\"History never lies. It has told us that Gus Dur once tried to
\nrevive communism in the country. No one can deny that,\" Mudrick
\nsaid, adding that one of the indications was Gus Dur's idea to
\nrevoke TAP MPRS XXVI\/1966 on communism.<\/p>\n
Yet, Mudrick also said that just showing hatred toward
\ncommunism was not enough. \"What is more important is to prevent a
\nrevival of communism and to forgive those who have forsworn,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, an official confirmed that President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri was scheduled to preside over a ceremony on Monday,
\ncommemorating the tragedy at Lubang Buaya Monument in East
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The President is also scheduled to inspect a museum and
\nmonuments at the same location,\" head of Lubang Buaya Monument
\nCol. Ruchyanto told The Jakarta Post at his office on Sunday.<\/p>\n
As the ceremony will be attended by VIPs such as ministers and
\nforeign diplomats, preparations were being made at the monument
\nto spruce it up a bit by cleaning the site and decorating the
\npath leading to the monument with flowers.<\/p>\n
\"Although it has been 35 years, there is still uncertainty as
\nto who was responsible for the tragedy,\" said Hermawan Sulistyo
\nfrom the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).<\/p>\n
He said interpretation of the aborted coup was dominated by
\ntwo opinions -- the government's version, which claims that PKI
\nwas to blame for masterminding the incident and another that
\nclaims that PKI was no more than a scapegoat.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono meanwhile welcomed the idea, saying that any plan to
\nput history on the right track could not be blamed.<\/p>\n
\"Please don't rush to change history. But, please don't close
\nthe door on other opinions,\" the minister said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protesters-condemn-communism-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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