Anti-communist groups accused of communist practice

JAKARTA (JP): The threat issued by anticommunist groups to raid bookstores and burn books perceived as leftist was blasted by experts and activists, who labeled it as "a practice of communism itself".

Sociologist Paulus Wirutomo said nowadays people had lost suitable models to demonstrate their disagreement and simply resorted to anarchical actions to attract public attention.

He pointed out that by their intimidation, members of the anticommunist groups were even demonstrating the practices of the now-banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) followers.

"From what we hear, their actions are similar to the communist practices as they can't accept differences and coerce others into accepting their beliefs," he said, adding the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) once sponsored the anti-western drives in the 1960s during which they burned any books and recordings of western taste.

Gunung Agung and Karisma bookstores in Jakarta have followed Gramedia in removing the leftist books from the shelves in the face of threats of a massive anticommunist rally at major bookstores on May 20 to mark the National Awakening Day.

Paulus said the threats were symptoms of the growing loss of public trust in law enforcers. "The people regard themselves as moral police as law enforcers are often seen as having lost their morality."

Paulus said that as the communist movement here was often referred to as the PKI, then it was understandable if there were groups of people who continued to vent their anger against the ideology.

"What the PKI did in the past to our people was too traumatic for the family of the victims," he said.

He was referring to the 1948 mass slaughter in the town of Madiun in East Java and the 1965 killings of army generals.

Bandung-based Padjajaran University's expert in political communication Jalalludin Rakhmat even suspected that the threats launched by the anticommunist groups signified the awakening of the New Order power.

He recalled that the order under former president Soeharto leadership emerged on the political stage after crushing the communism in the country prevalent during the administration of first president Sukarno.

"Now they want to revive their power but need to focus on one common enemy, that is the communist issue," he said in Bandung, the capital of West Java.

Meanwhile activist and stage actress Ratna Sarumpaet believed that the people in the anticommunist group did not read the books thoroughly and therefore had shallow knowledge of the ideology.

Ratna also criticized the largest publisher and bookstore Gramedia for "surrendering to the unsubstantiated intimidations", saying the decision would only justify the anarchical actions of the anticommunist group.

"I very am sad that Gramedia, an established company, should heed to such demands (to withdraw books)."

Gramedia decided to withdraw the "leftist" books from shelves even beginning last week after a group of Islamic youths staged a protest in Jakarta and burned a book on Karl Marx which was written by political thinker Franz Magnis Suseno.

The books include those written by renowned author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, a Nobel prize nominee, political analyst Hermawan Sulistyo and political thinker Franz Magnis Suseno.

Gramedia owns a total of 42 bookstores across the country, 16 of them located in greater Jakarta.

The move was followed by other bookstores here like Gunung Agung and Karisma.

In Gunung Agung on Jl. Kwitang in Central Jakarta, a store keeper Nenden said several books were temporarily not displayed but she did not know which titles.

Karisma book store's central office did not make any official decision but several stores decided not to display any books with communist or Marxist titles on the shelves.

Some of the shelves were even left vacant.

"We are only concealing the books and will still sell them if individuals come to us and ask about the books," Anita Cahyani, a storekeeper at Karisma in Cijantung, East Jakarta. (25/emf)