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