Attempts to dodge Sukarno questioned
Attempts to dodge Sukarno questioned
JAKARTA (JP): Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairperson of the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), gave a belated response to the
recent polemic about the role her father, Indonesia's first
president Sukarno, played in the events before and after the
communist attempt to grab power in 1965.
"Isn't it enough for this nation of 50 years old to continue
dodging Bung Karno," Megawati told reporters on Monday referring
to the popular name her father was often called.
The polemic, she said, has raised questions about the
consistent way in which the nation respected Sukarno, who was
posthumously dubbed a national hero for his role in proclaiming
Indonesia's independence in 1945.
Sukarno was removed from power in 1967 after months of
political turmoil sparked by the communist plot to wrest power on
Sept. 30, 1965. He died in disgrace in 1970 but his name was
reinstated by the government of President Soeharto in 1986 when
he was conferred with the title of "Proclamation Hero" along with
Mohammad Hatta, Indonesia's first vice president.
The two have been immortalized and Jakarta's international
airport has been named after them.
The polemic about Sukarno's role in the tumultuous months
between Oct. 1965 to his downfall in 1967 was reopened with the
publication of a book by one of his admirers, columnist Manai
Sophiaan, last month who said that Sukarno was no communist.
A white book on the events surrounding those events issued on
Oct. 1 by the State Secretariat however depicts Sukarno as
defending the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) to the point of
trying to absolve it of any guilt in the Sept. 1965 plot.
One entire chapter of the book is devoted to the way Sukarno
reacted or responded to the series of events between 1965 and
1967.
Founder
Megawati said she found the conferring of the hero title and
the attempt to dodge her father as inconsistent.
"Bung Karno is the founder of this republic and nation," she
said.
Regarding the white paper, Megawati said she has not read it
and has not received a copy of the book.
Meanwhile, former vice president Sudharmono said that the
white book is intended to set the record straight about the
events surrounding the communist plot.
This, he added, is the final version, but he did not rule out
the possibility of revising it if any accurate evidence is
presented.
Manai's book has spawned off another debate, this one about
his allegations that student leaders who mobilized massive anti-
Sukarno street demonstrations in 1966 and 1967 received CIA
funding.
The student leaders grouped in the Laskar Arief Rachman Hakim
have denied the accusation and plan to bring Manai to court for
defamation.
The Laskar is planning to hold its five-year congress in
Jakarta this week and Manai's accusation will be addressed,
according to the group's proponents. (emb)