RI writers blast Magsaysay Award foundation

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)