Doubts expressed over reconciliation commission
Doubts expressed over reconciliation commission
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Muslim leaders expressed doubts on Wednesday that the planned
Truth and Reconciliation Commission would become an effective
instrument for peaceful national reconciliation.
Speaking before legislators in charge of deliberating the bill
on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Muslim leaders
warned that the establishment of the commission would only open
old wounds and renew conflicts.
Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Hasyim Muzadi told
legislators during a hearing here on Wednesday that it would be
better to bury the past and look toward the future.
According to Hasyim, the nation must be unified in declaring
the 1965 abortive coup d'etat -- and the deaths that followed the
incident -- a national tragedy.
"The government should then restore the civil rights of the
victims," he said.
Hasyim said the Indonesian Military, Muslim groups, and the
Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) all had roles in the failed 1965
coup, which led to the deaths of thousands of suspected PKI
members.
He did not explain what role the military, Muslim groups, and
the PKI had played in the bloody incident.
"If the (truth and reconciliation) commission seeks the truth,
then it will inevitably reopen old wounds. So, it must be made
clear whether reconciliation is the aim or reopening past
wounds," he said.
Speaking at the same hearing, Yahya Muhaimin from the
Muhammadiyah said comparisons between Indonesia and South Africa
were not useful as the conflicts here were of a different nature.
The conflicts in South Africa, he said, were driven by racial
discrimination while the conflicts in Indonesia were caused by
various factors, including ethnic, religious, and economic
issues.
"Besides, it is hard to find a figure who has the capacity of
Nelson Mandela here," he said.
Hussein Umar of the Indonesian Islamic Sermon Council (DDII),
meanwhile, suggested that lawmakers delayed the discussion of the
bill until information was disseminated to the public on the
planned commission.
Although he fully supported efforts toward national
reconciliation, whether this could be achieved through the truth
and reconciliation commission was another matter, he added.
Hussein also warned legislators that the commission must not
create more problems.
Many other groups have rejected the bill, or expressed their
doubts over its effectiveness, but legislators say that
controversies regarding the bill are to be expected.