Plan to reopen 1965 coup case draws controversy
Plan to reopen 1965 coup case draws controversy
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid's approval of
attempts to reopen the case of the 1965 abortive coup and its
bloody aftermath has caused some controversy.
The Air Force, whose role in the events of 1965 have often
been questioned due to its close ties with then president
Sukarno, welcomed on Wednesday the President's statement, calling
on all those with information about the attempted coup to come
forward.
But noted military observer Lt. Gen. (ret) Hasnan Habib
opposed on Thursday any plans to reopen the country's old wounds,
which he said would benefit no one. He suggested the public
accept the bloody event as part of history.
Commodore Bachrum Rasir, the spokesman for the Air Force, said
those witnesses who remained alive bore a moral responsibility to
testify, in order to clarify the event for the younger generation
and to make any necessary corrections to the country's historical
record.
He listed Col. (ret) Latief and Air Rear Marshal (ret) Sri
Herlambang as two such witnesses.
"Besides these figures, many other witnesses who are still
alive could reveal the truth about this historical event without
having to fear any pressure," he said.
The Air Force released last year its own version of the
aborted coup, denying any involvement in the coup attempt blamed
on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
In the coup's aftermath, Sukarno stepped down and thousands of
people are believed to have been killed for their alleged links
to PKI. Then Army chief Lt. Gen. Soeharto succeeded Sukarno as
president.
Reliable sources in the military told The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday the present government, in cooperation with certain
interested groups, would press Soeharto to tell the true story
surrounding the 1965 upheaval.
"Besides the living witnesses, Soeharto, who is known as the
key figure behind the event, should be asked to speak out, not
for investigative purposes, but for historical ones," one source
said.
Mystery
Hasnan said reopening the case was unnecessary for the nation
because of the darkness and mystery blanketing the event.
"What will we get if we dig into something that happened 35
years ago, which is dark and full of mystery. I don't know what
we will profit by it," Hasnan, a former ambassador to the U.S.,
said.
"I know the families and relatives of those who were suspected
to be members of PKI still hold grudges about it, but there are
too many versions and too much controversy surrounding the coup.
It will be very difficult to determine the most correct version."
Hasnan, who was a colonel when the coup attempt took place,
added that many people who were directly involved or witnessed
the events had passed away, so it would be unlikely that new
evidence could be collected.
"Who will conduct the investigation if the case is reopened.
Some witnesses may still be alive, but prominent figures have
long since passed away. So it is impossible to discover the grand
design behind the coup attempt," he said.
He said that despite his criticism of the TNI, he supported
any measures to contain communism.
"I think all Army officers are of the same opinion of
rejecting communism," he said. (rms/emf)