RI writers blast Magsaysay Award foundation
JAKARTA (JP): Twenty six leading Indonesian writers and literary figures have criticized the Manila-based Magsaysay Award Foundation for its decision to grant Pramoedya Ananta Toer this year's prestigious award for literary.
In a joint statement, led by two previous Magsaysay literary award recipients Mochtar Loebis and H.B. Jassin, the writers said the foundation's decision "surprised us in Indonesia."
"We believe that the Magsaysay Award Foundation is not fully aware of the notorious role of Pramoedya in the darkest period for artistic creativity during the 'Guided Democracy' years (1959-1965), in witch hunting his fellow writers who happened to be on the other side of the fence," according to the statement, a copy of which was made available to The Jakarta Post yesterday.
The statement was dated July 29.
The writers fell short of specifically demanding that the foundation change its decision, but they said: "We find it an utmost irony that by extending this award, Pramoedya will be sitting on the same bench with Magsaysay awardees Mochtar Lubis and H.B. Jassin.
"Mochtar Lubis, writer and journalist, a tireless fighter for freedom of expression and human rights in Indonesia for more than 40 years up to now, and H.B. Jassin, literary critic and documenter, (were) Pramoedya's primary targets during the smear campaigns and mental terror period."
The Magsaysay foundation, which announced the award for Pramoedya last month, has been lobbying to secure his attendance at the award presentation ceremony in Manila next month, calling on President Soeharto to remove a ban on overseas travel that has been imposed by the government.
Pramoedya, one of Indonesia's best known writers abroad, was closely associated with the People's Cultural Institution (Lekra), a pro-communist group of writers and literary critics, which in the 1960s launched a campaign to oppress those whose views did not conform with theirs.
He was arrested and interned after the abortive coup blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965.
He was released in the late 1970s but virtually all his books written since then have been banned in Indonesia because of what the government sees as their tolerance of communism and Marxism.
Some of the writers who criticized Magsaysay over the award have at one time urged the government to lift the ban against Pramoedya's books.
But they made it clear that in their opinion, Pramoedya does not the deserve the Magsaysay award.
"It seems to us that the foundation did not take into account Pramoedya's track record during the heyday of communism in Indonesia. He led the oppression on creativity of the non- communist writers, playwrights, movie makers, painters and musicians, turning a deaf ear to freedom of expression, endorsing the banning of books and music records, hailing the burning of books in Jakarta and Surabaya.
"He also set in motion the systematic smear campaign and character assassination against non-Lekra artists, mental terror and intimidation in line with their principle 'the end justifies the means', developing the foulest language ever in the Indonesian press, launching the annihilation campaign against independent publishers, among others, who had the guts to keep printing the Indonesian translation of Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak's novel, the 1958 Nobel Prize winner," the statement read.
The writers noted that "so far Pramoedya has never publicly regretted what he previously did, has never admitted all his actions at that time were systematic annihilation of freedom of creativity."
The other 24 signatories are Ali Hasjmy, Rosihan Anwar, Asrul Sani, Wiratmo Soekito, Rendra, Yunan Helmy Nasution, Bokor Hutasuhut, D.S. Moeljanto, Misbach Yusa Biran, S.M. Ardan, Lukman Ali, Taufiq Ismail, Sori Siregar, Leon Agusta, Syu'bah Asa, Rachmat Djoko Pradopo, Danarto, Abdul Rahman Saleh, Amak Baljun, Chairul Umam, Ikranagara, Budiman S. Hartoyo, Slamet Sukirnanto and Mochtar Pabottingi. (emb)