Gus Dur renews call for lifting ban on communism

Gus Dur renews call for lifting ban on communism

MALANG, East Java (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid insisted
on Saturday that the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) revoke
its 34-year-old decree banning communist teachings.

The President, better known as Gus Dur, said that in his
personal opinion too many people who were not communists were
branded as such, and were hence affected by the decree.

"I think the decree violates basic human rights. I don't care
about those protesting parties. Let's talk about this matter from
all sides," Abdurrahman said after addressing graduates from
Malang Islamic University here.

He also said people who believe in communism or Marxism should
not be treated as if they had no rights at all.

However, Abdurrahman said the revocation of the decree should
first be discussed with the government due to controversy
surrounding the issue.

The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) was the most recent body
to oppose Abdurrahman's call, saying communist teachings should
remain banned because they promoted atheism.

The decree was passed in a special session in 1966 when the
MPR was a provisional body. The session was held following an
abortive coup blamed on the now defunct Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI) on Sept. 30.

Thousands of people are believed to have been killed in a
military-backed communist cleansing campaign shortly after the
ban.

Earlier this month, the government scrapped a 1990
presidential decree requiring that civil servants, politicians
and state officials undergo screening procedures before assuming
new posts. The procedure was essentially aimed at checking
whether someone was a member of the PKI or other illegal
organizations, or was linked to them through their kin or by
association.

MPR Ad Hoc Committee II member GBPH Joyokusumo told The
Jakarta Post in Yogyakarta that the MPR decree on communism would
be one of the main points of discussion at the Assembly's annual
meeting in August.

But he said it was still unclear whether the MPR would revoke
the decree or not.

"I myself think that as long as communism does not violate the
state ideology of Pancasila, there is no reason to oppose the
revocation the decree," Joyokusumo of the Golkar Party said.

Political analyst Ichlasul Amal joined the chorus of support
for Abdurrahman, saying that communism as a political movement
was now irrelevant.

"There is nothing to worry about communism. MUI has gone too
far. The council did not need to issue such a call," he told the
Post on Friday.

"People have practically forgotten about the decree. They have
not cared much about communism up until now. So what does MUI
want by making such a call?"

Amal said that the MPR decree banning communism should be no
longer effective because according to the constitution MPR
decrees were valid for only five years after they were endorsed.

Amal also disagreed with MUI's persistent stance that
communist and Marxist teachings should be banned, saying that
communism and Marxism as scientific discourses had already been
discussed on campuses for a few years.

"Marxism as a science is one of the most essential tools in
social sciences. A social scientist can hardly work without a
knowledge of Marxism," he said. (nur/prb/edt)