Democracy is of no use

Democracy is of no use

From Kompas

How can democracy have any meaning if the communists still aspire to return to the political stage? It's wishful thinking.

This is due to the fact that the younger generation of communists insist that they (the Indonesian communists) are right; and what the communists were blamed for in the past -- a series of armed rebellions, culminating in the Sept. 30 Movement -- they believe was not the work of the Indonesian communists or the PKI, yet it was the communists who were victimized.

Therefore, as an Indonesian citizen, I call on fellow citizens not to forget history, let alone manipulate the facts concerning the communists' brutality. From now on we should exercise vigilance so as not to become victims again of the tactics and strategy of the communists, who are opposed to democracy and work against justice.

Furthermore, we should be more careful in dealing with the present conditions, in which the communists have tried to integrate themselves into democratic society -- deploying new and subtler modes of action -- saying that the anticommunist mind-set is actually undemocratic.

Being consistent in pursuing an anticommunist ideology, we must not let ourselves be trapped into the false notion that the anticommunist mind-set is undemocratic.

Let's look at western countries as a good example. Although they practice liberal democracy, their anticommunist stance never fails to inspire them. They denounced communism in the past, and are opposed to it now.

As an ideology, communism has not died. It is always trying to penetrate almost every sector -- religions, legal bureaucracies, and even the military establishments.

KUSERI Depok, West Java