1965 coup film no longer obligatory
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus said on Wednesday all television stations would no longer have to screen a government-produced film on the 1965 coup attempt blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
Instead, he said, all stations would have to air other films with "similar nuances" designated by the government each year.
The 1982 film, G-30 S/PKI, had been shown each year by all television stations since 1984 to commemorate Pancasila Sanctity Day on Oct. 1, when the coup was aborted. The commemoration officially refers to the ideology which inspired the country to defeat the communist forces.
The film, originally titled Sejarah Orde Baru (The History of the New Order), was directed by the late Arifin C. Noer and runs 271 minutes.
In a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission I for security and defense, law, politics and information, Yunus said: "The government agrees with House Commission I that films glorifying an individual no longer suit the dynamics of reform.
"So on Sept. 30, TVRI (the state television station) and private TV stations will no longer broadcast G30S/PKI," Yunus, an active Army lieutenant general, said.
The legislators, however, did not question why all television stations would still be required to screen a film decided by the government.
While G-30S/PKI has been praised for cinematic aspects, many have criticized it as excessively portraying the heroism of former president Soeharto, who led the put-down of the uprising.
In a written statement, the commission urged the government to stop its obligatory screenings of films "glorifying individuals" like Janur Kuning (Yellow Coconut Palm Leaves) and Serangan Fajar (Dawn Strike) -- both portraying Soeharto as a hero during the struggle against the Dutch in the 1940s.
Yunus did not comment on the two films cited by the committee but said G30S/PKI would be replaced this year by Bukan Sekedar Kenangan (Not Merely a Memory), a new film produced by the Ministry of Information in cooperation with the Ministry Education and Culture.
It was directed by renowned playwright Tatiek Malyati Sihombing.
Yunus said the film would be screened in three episodes from Sept. 30 on all TV stations starting at 9:30 p.m.
The ministry's director general for radio, television and film, Ishadi SK, told reporters that the film was fictional, unlike G30S/PKI, which was considered a semi-documentary.
"It's fictional, but it has nuances of the Sept. 30 coup. It's a story about a student fighting for reform who was later branded as a member of the Communist Party just because his grandfather was a Communist," he said.
"There are elements of justice in the film."
The stigma of the PKI had often been used by the previous government to brand critical political opponents. (aan)