Stop promoting communism<\/p>\n
Clandestine circulars have recently been passed around with
\nthe purpose of creating unrest and dissident feelings. The way it
\nhas been done is not unlike the practices deployed by the banned
\nIndonesian Communist Party and this is, understandably, a cause
\nof great concern to the authorities.<\/p>\n
No doubt, the presence of former Indonesian Communist Party
\nmembers cannot be shrugged off lightly. A secret report in 1965
\ncounted about 20 million members, all cadres and members of
\naffiliated communist organizations. In a population of 100
\nmillion, this would mean 20 percent, or 1 in every 5 Indonesians,
\nwere communists.<\/p>\n
When the Armed Forces arrested 60,000 communists during
\nmopping up operations, 4,000 were categorized as class A
\nprisoners and were brought to trial. The rest were later sent
\nhome.<\/p>\n
What is the situation now? I thought that people had forgotten
\ncommunists and communism. After our achievement in improving the
\ncountry's economic condition and increasing national wealth, I
\nshould say there is no place for communism since this ideology
\nthrives on poverty. What more, with the continuous and tireless
\nefforts of the government to educate people in Pancasila and the
\n1945 Constitution for years on end, I would say that the two,
\nPancasila and the Constitution, should by now have become an
\ninseparable part of people's lives.<\/p>\n
Aside from the aforementioned, religious mores have
\nintensified among the population. So why do I have the impression
\nthat we still lack confidence, mentally and physically, when I
\nread about communism day in and day out? Writing about communists
\nonly makes them unwittingly \"popular\".<\/p>\n
Reading about communism might evoke curiosity in the younger
\ngeneration, who were not around in those days of insecurity and
\nhardship. Speaking from a psychological viewpoint, the unknown
\nattracts and people tend to side with the underdog. In my
\nopinion, we should treat them as unimportant and as outcasts. Let
\nintelligence organizations do the job effectively and
\nunobtrusively.<\/p>\n
Don't promote their cause. We should eliminate the tools they
\nuse, like poverty, social jealousy, religious intolerance,
\ncorruption, student fights, unrest and dissatisfaction in
\ngeneral. We should not issue unnecessary statements as made by
\nthe secretary-general of the Indonesian Civil Servants Corps, or
\nthreats such as those made by the mayor of Surabaya. These are
\nall welcomed material for communists.<\/p>\n
Leadership is not easy. It does not mean that one should be
\nbossy. The saying goes that a boss leans on his authority, but a
\nleader counts on goodwill. The wind is always strongest in the
\ntop of the tree. We should act like a rice stalk, the fuller the
\nstalk the lower it bows.<\/p>\n
In short, what I wanted to say is, stop giving communists and
\ncommunism free advertising space. Rely on the power of Pancasila
\nand the Constitution.<\/p>\n
SOEGIH ARTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/stop-promoting-communism-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }