Anticommunism law needed: Activists
Anticommunism law needed: Activists
JAKARTA (JP): An organization affiliated with the ruling
Golkar political organization has proposed that the government
should draft an anticommunism law to provide the legal grounds
for the state's anticommunist campaign.
Laskar Ampera Arief Rachman Hakim considered the decree issued
by the People's Consultative Assembly and the Guidelines of State
Policy, which have been used as the legal basis in the campaign
against communism, as not firm enough.
"Thus far, the fight against communism has been proceeding
without specific laws or regulations," Djusril Djusan, chairman
of the foundation, said on Monday.
Recently, the government accused activists of the tiny
Democratic People's Party (PRD) of spreading the communist
ideology and inciting riots in the capital on July 27.
Ten PRD activists have been detained for subversion, the most
serious offense under Indonesian law, which carries a maximum
penalty of death.
Djusril also questioned the National Commission on Human
Rights' Aug. 31 announcement on its provisional findings of the
July 27 riots, which put the death toll at five, with 74 missing.
Earlier, the government had put the death toll at four, but
made no mention of people missing.
"The commission is the nation's hope, so they should have been
more careful before deciding to announce their findings, so that
it would not stir controversy," Djusril said.
The foundation plans to hold a congress next week to
synchronize its activists' views and perceptions regarding the
current political situation.
Nazwir Abunaen, deputy secretary-general of the foundation,
told The Jakarta Post that about 400 of its members would take
part in the national meeting, to be held at Hotel Indonesia.
Members of the organization include former student activists
from the 1966 Generation, who played a pivotal role in the rise
of the New Order administration under President Soeharto.
They also plan to hold a rally in support of the government in
Blitar, East Java, though no precise date has been set. "We will
hold it before Sept. 30," Djusril said. (14)