'Prahara Budaya' puts history in perspective

'Prahara Budaya' puts history in perspective

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman
Djojonegoro welcomed yesterday Prahara Budaya, or Cultural
Calamity, saying the new book "straightens out history."

The controversial Prahara Budaya discusses the political
rivalry between Indonesia's pro- and anti-communist intellectuals
during the 1960-1965 period of guided democracy under former
Indonesian president Sukarno.

"The events only occurred 30 years ago but people are already
trying to turn the facts around," he said.

Wardiman was addressing a ceremony in which the state oil
company Pertamina symbolically presented 5,000 copies of the book
to the rectors of University of Indonesia, the Jakarta Teacher
Education and Training Institute (IKIP), the Syarif Hidayatullah
Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) and the Consultative Board
for Indonesian Private Universities.

"History books in schools have the mission of educating
children. All of it is aimed at securing national unity,"
Wardiman said.

Noted intellectual Taufiq Ismail, who co-wrote the book with
D.S. Moeljanto, said it was necessary to "straighten out history"
as there had lately been "attempts by certain people and groups
of people... to deny that socialistic realism was related to
communism and the LEKRA (pro-communist People's Cultural
Institute) group during the 1960s".

"I am only straightening out the facts. I don't like lies," he
said.

As communism rose to its heyday at that time, intellectuals
were divided into the pro-communist LEKRA group, on one hand, and
an anti-communist group associated with the concept of Manikebu,
or a "Cultural Manifesto", on the other. Taufiq and Moeljanto
were members of the latter group.

In 1965, the coup attempt by the Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI) was crushed and many of its leaders, alleged activists and
writers were jailed.

While some critics praise the book for being "very balanced",
others say it has opened up old wounds and that the authors are
"seeking revenge".

Taufiq, however, denied seeking revenge through the book.

"If people read the book, they can see that there is no
attempt to get back at LEKRA. For one, 29 years is much too long
for us to still be seeking revenge," he said.

Taufiq said that when the tables were turned following the
fall of the communists, his colleagues associated with Manikebu
did not try to burn the books written by LEKRA members, nor did
they urge the government to ban their books and art exhibitions,
as LEKRA had done when the communists had the upper hand.

"We actually enjoy the works of LEKRA authors because many of
them are very good. But sometimes the performance of their works
declined because of politics," he said.

A senior journalist who claimed to be a witness to certain
events of the 1960s countered that claim, saying he had seen
hundreds of books scattered and destroyed on Jl. Kramat Raya in
Central Jakarta by anti-communist groups.

"But I am talking here about literature," Taufiq responded.
"That must have been the work of other groups, not of the men of
letters associated with Manikebu," he said.

Taufiq said that he had tried to be balanced in the book,
adding that "the one error that several Manikebu-signatories
committed," which was apologizing to the government for one of
their writings.

"But we understand the situation they were in at the time,
although we cannot agree with what they did," he said.

Asked about the situation at that time compared with present
times, Taufiq said the prevalence of physical terror and
repression of writers were the most distinguishing factors.

"I'm not saying that present times are paradise, but there's
no perfect country... Even in the most democratic countries there
are bannings of books," he said.

"I gladly welcome any book which attempts to counter this
book," Taufiq said. (pwn)