Protesters condemn communism
Protesters condemn communism
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Hundreds of protesters staged an anti-communism rally at the
National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta on Sunday in
commemoration of the bloody 1965 abortive coup, which is blamed
on the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
The rally, led by former East Timorese militia leader Eurico
Guterres, demanded that communism be wiped out of Indonesia.
"I joined the rally because, as a child of Indonesia, I obey
rules as stated in the law...and I call upon the government to
make it clear that the Sept. 30 coup attempt was carried out by
the communists," Guterres said.
Former president Soeharto, who was an unpopular general,
managed to foil an attempted coup against founding president
Sukarno. A year later he replaced Sukarno amid the chaos that had
enveloped the capital and other parts of the country.
The coup attempt was officially blamed on the PKI. The
accusation triggered a wave of vengeance against the communists,
in which more than half a million people are believed to have
died.
After staging protests and speeches at Monas Park, the
protesters, who consisted of activists from the Red-and-White
Defenders Front, the Hizbollah Front, the 1966 Youth Exponent,
the Anti-communist Alliance and the Tarbiyah Youth, moved on to
the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. They dispersed peacefully at
about 12:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, in Yogyakarta hundreds of activists attended an
anti-communism mass prayer on Sunday at Diponegoro Monument,
warning of the possible revival of communism in the country.
Newly-elected Mayor of Yogyakarta Herry Zudianto was among
those participating in the prayer.
The ritual was attended by activists from various
organizations, including the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front
(FAKI), Indonesian Anti-Communist Movement (BAKI) and Anti-
Communist Force Movement (Gepako).
A leader of the United Development Party (PPP), Mudrick
Setiawan Muhammad Sangidu, who is also chairman of Surakarta's
Anti-Communist Front, was among the speakers at the event.
Mudrick said that the recent establishment of numerous anti-
communist fronts was in fact a reaction to what former president
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid had done to try to revive communism
in the country.
"History never lies. It has told us that Gus Dur once tried to
revive communism in the country. No one can deny that," Mudrick
said, adding that one of the indications was Gus Dur's idea to
revoke TAP MPRS XXVI/1966 on communism.
Yet, Mudrick also said that just showing hatred toward
communism was not enough. "What is more important is to prevent a
revival of communism and to forgive those who have forsworn," he
said.
In Jakarta, an official confirmed that President Megawati
Soekarnoputri was scheduled to preside over a ceremony on Monday,
commemorating the tragedy at Lubang Buaya Monument in East
Jakarta.
"The President is also scheduled to inspect a museum and
monuments at the same location," head of Lubang Buaya Monument
Col. Ruchyanto told The Jakarta Post at his office on Sunday.
As the ceremony will be attended by VIPs such as ministers and
foreign diplomats, preparations were being made at the monument
to spruce it up a bit by cleaning the site and decorating the
path leading to the monument with flowers.
"Although it has been 35 years, there is still uncertainty as
to who was responsible for the tragedy," said Hermawan Sulistyo
from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).
He said interpretation of the aborted coup was dominated by
two opinions -- the government's version, which claims that PKI
was to blame for masterminding the incident and another that
claims that PKI was no more than a scapegoat.
Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono meanwhile welcomed the idea, saying that any plan to
put history on the right track could not be blamed.
"Please don't rush to change history. But, please don't close
the door on other opinions," the minister said.