Government bans Oei autobiography
JAKARTA (JP): The government has banned Oei Tjoe Tat's autobiography five months after its launching on the grounds the contents could create public unrest.
Attorney General Singgih told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace yesterday that he issued a decree to prohibit the publication, distribution, and possession of Memoar Oei Tjoe Tat Pembantu Presiden Soekarno (Memoirs of Oei Tjoe Tat, Assistant of President Sukarno) on Monday.
"The book contains misleading and perverting information and degrades the government and leaders of the New Order administration. The book could mislead the younger generation about the government of Indonesia," Singgih said.
Oei Tjoe Tat was one of the cabinet members rounded up by the military when Sukarno's government was dissolved in 1966 at the peak of political turmoil which had its origins in the communist- backed attempted coup of September 1965.
Oei was tried and convicted by a court for playing a role in the abortive coup. He was released in December 1977.
Chief spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, Pontas Pasaribu, said that the decree was made after a recent evaluation meeting of the Clearing House, a forum of experts set up to gather opinions and find solutions for critical issues.
"The decree was issued after studying the various reactions from the public toward the book," he added.
One protest came last month from leaders of Fosko 66, a forum grouping former student leaders who took part in the 1966 street demonstrations that led to the downfall of Sukarno.
"The book contains provocative messages and irrelevant information dangerous to the younger generation," Fosko 66 chairman Sumarno Dipodisastro said at that time.
Fosko 66 also invited Oei to discuss their challenge to the accuracy of some of the information in the book, but the author refused to change the contents.
The book was first launched in April chiefly among Oei's close friends. It was co-edited by writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, this year's recipient of the Magsaysay Award for journalism and literature, who himself served many years' of hard labor for allegedly spreading Marxist ideas.
The memoirs, which were written by Oei Tjoe Tat 10 years ago, were originally intended for his family and close friends. "It was meant as an explanation of my past political experiences to my children and grandchildren," Oei said during the book launching.
Upon the urging of friends, however, the book was reprinted and made available to a wider audience.
The autobiography has reportedly been widely distributed in Indonesia and abroad. The publisher, Hasta Mitra, has already reprinted the book three times to keep up with domestic demand. (imn)