Mon, 04 Aug 2003

PDI-P changes stance on PKI

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) removed the only potential hurdle for a smooth Assembly session on Sunday by withdrawing its proposal to repeal a decree banning the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the dissemination of communism, Marxism and Leninism teachings in the country.

PDI Perjuangan's about-face was made public at the preliminary hearing of the People's Consultative Assembly Commission B in charge of identifying decrees to be repealed in the current Assembly session.

"In order to ease debate, we are ready and willing to withdraw our proposal (to revoke the banning of the PKI)," PDI Perjuangan spokesman I Gede Sudibya said at the hearing on Sunday.

The statement drew applause from legislators attending the hearing.

PDI Perjuangan legislator Permadi said after the hearing that the faction withdrew its proposal in order to avoid voting on the issue.

PDI Perjuangan, the largest faction in the MPR, had been steadfast in its proposal to repeal an MPR decree issued in 1966 that outlawed the PKI and banned the dissemination of information on communism, Marxism and Leninism after the 1965 abortive coup.

Following the failed coup blamed on the PKI, hundreds of thousands of suspected PKI members and their family members were killed in waves of violent vengeance against the party.

Relatives of alleged PKI members were also discriminated against for more than three decades under the leadership of iron- fisted Soeharto, who effectively became president after Sukarno signed a decree giving him executive power to restore peace and order in the attempted coup's aftermath.

The executive power is known as Surat Perintah Sebelas Maret or the March 11 Executive Order, also known as Super Semar.

At Sunday's hearing, all factions agreed that the ban on the PKI and the dissemination of communism, Marxism and Leninism teachings must be maintained.

They, however, emphasized that discrimination against family members or relatives of suspected former PKI members must be ended. They did not say how.

Spokesman for the military and police faction Djasrie Marin said on Sunday that the nation must not waver in its ban on the PKI and communism.

PDI Perjuangan also demanded that several decrees relating to founding president Sukarno be repealed in a show of goodwill to rehabilitate the image of Sukarno.

Other factions, however, rejected the proposal, arguing that there was no need to rehabilitate Sukarno's name as he was already remembered as a prominent father of the nation.

MPR decrees relating to Sukarno include on the Super Semar to Soeharto and a decree on the revocation of Sukarno's presidency.

The 11 factions in the Assembly remain divided on other MPR decrees.

The Regional Representatives faction (FUD) is the only faction that insisted on maintaining an MPR decree on the implementation of regional autonomy.

Other factions demanded that the decree be repealed because regulations on regional autonomy were clearly mentioned in the amended Constitution and regional autonomy laws.

Regarding the legal status of MPR decrees, the Annual Session proposed to classify 139 decrees issued between 1960 and 2002 into eight groups.

The first group is for decrees to be repealed, the second for decrees to be repealed with conditions, the third for decrees declared effective with conditions, the fourth for decrees declared effective until the setting up of a new government in 2004, the fifth for decrees declared effective until the enactment of laws, the sixth for decrees declared effective until the enactment of new Assembly internal regulations, the seventh for decrees considered to be equal to laws, and the eight for decrees considered effective at the time of endorsement.

Of the total 139 decrees, 12 decrees remain unsolved, providing reason for factions to debate.

Unsettled decrees --------------------------------------------------------------- No Decrees Issue ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. No.XV/MPR/1998 Regional Autonomy 2. No.IX/MPRS/1966 Super Semar 3. No.XXXIII/MPRS/1967 Revocation of Sukarno's power 4. No.XLIII/MPRS/1968 Explanation of Super Semar 5. No.XXV/MPRS/1966 Ban on PKI, communism 6. No.XI/MPR/1998 Clean Government 7. No.XVI/MPR/1998 Economic Democracy 8. No.VIII/MPR/2001 Recommendation for Corruption

Eradication 9. No.XXIX/MPRS/1966 Inauguration of Ampera Heroes 10. No.V/MPR/2000 National Unity 11. No.VI/MPR/2001 Nationhood Ethics 12. No.VII/MPR/2001 Indonesia's Vision --------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Assembly's Annual Session