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.