Govt to hold preseminar on Sukarno soon
JAKARTA (JP): The government has again taken up its controversial plan to hold a seminar on the impeachment of Indonesia's first president Sukarno.
State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman, who initiated the plan and later put it on hold for some time due to the growing controversy, said here Saturday that the seminar would be duly held, but preceded by a pre-seminar at the end of this month.
"A pre-seminar on president Sukarno's Nawaksara accountability speech will be held at the end of this month, preceding the main seminar scheduled for next year," Hayono, who is the chief of the seminar's organizing committee, said as quoted by Antara.
Addressing the press after officiating the construction of the Industrial Park for Youths at the Bukit Semarang Baru (BSB) in Semarang, Central Java, Hayono said a limited number of people are expected to attend the pre-seminar. Those invited are mainly government officials and around 100 people directly involved in the historical event, including former members of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly Frans Seda and Gen. (ret) A.H. Nasution.
Hayono said the pre-seminar would be held to help build a common perception between the government and those who once took part in the impeachment.
"We expect the government and those involved at the time will have a similar perception on Sukarno's impeachment," he said.
Heated debates have surrounded the planned seminar, originally scheduled for last April. President Soeharto approved the plan in March.
At the center of the debate is Sukarno's Nawaksara accountability speech before a special session of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS). It had questioned his stand on the abortive coup attempt in 1965, which was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party.
The assembly rejected Sukarno's accountability speech, paving the way for his impeachment from the office he had held since 1945. The assembly then appointed Soeharto, who played a pivotal role in toppling the communists, as president in 1968.
When Hayono first put forward his intention to hold the seminar, opinions were divided over whether the event would only open old wounds or would benefit people.
The government decided in April to hold the seminar after the general meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly next March. The meeting is scheduled to elect the country's new president and vice president and establish the five-yearly State Guidelines.
Hayono said Saturday he hoped those directly involved in the historical event would attend and share their opinions, so that a common perception on the accountability speech could be established.
"The main seminar, which will be held afterwards, will be open for the public," he said.
Law professor of the Semarang-based Diponegoro University Muladi supported the plan to organize a pre-seminar, which he said would help introduce an understanding between various parties.
Muladi, also rector of the university, said the "inputs" from government officials and those involved in the impeachment should be formulated, and be complemented with the accountability speech into a complete document to be used in the main seminar. (imn/har)