New Order regime worse than PKI?

New Order regime worse than PKI?

From Republika

Watching a political program on TVRI on May 25 in which the Indonesian National Party (PNI), the Nahdlatul Ummat Party (PNU) and the MKGR Party took part, I felt greatly concerned. The program was interesting because the participants were highly enthusiastic.

However, I got worried upon hearing Usep Ranawijaya say that the New Order had to be wiped out from the archipelago as if it was a virus. He also said that if possible, one New Order generation should be eradicated and a truly new generation free from viruses should be established.

In my opinion, Usep's statement depicted the New Order as something worse than the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) of the past. The whole Indonesian nation certainly knows that the PKI was a political party that stabbed the Indonesian people in the back in 1948 (the Madiun incident). In 1965, the PKI also betrayed the Indonesian nation in launching the Sept. 30 abortive coup.

In this era of reform the impression is created that the PKI was better than the New Order. It is very rare that the media publishes analyses on the PKI's past atrocities, or even reminds people. What is always presented are crimes committed during the New Order regime. Recently, as we know, some previously prominent PKI people have tried to set the record straight on the PKI's savagery. What we feel and enjoy at the moment is also the fruits of development during the New Order era. Only, we cannot deny that alongside the success of development, there were many deviations during the New Order regime. However, the New Order is in my opinion still better than the PKI.

I would like to avail myself of this occasion to remind self- avowed reformists not to twist the history of this republic. Maybe the Republika readership thinks that I am a supporter of the New Order regime. Certainly I am not. I am a staunch supporter of the reform movement. I think, however, that we must be honest. We should admit that good things are good and bad things bad.

M. YUSUF

Pontianak, West Kalimantan