Stop promoting communism
Stop promoting communism
Clandestine circulars have recently been passed around with
the purpose of creating unrest and dissident feelings. The way it
has been done is not unlike the practices deployed by the banned
Indonesian Communist Party and this is, understandably, a cause
of great concern to the authorities.
No doubt, the presence of former Indonesian Communist Party
members cannot be shrugged off lightly. A secret report in 1965
counted about 20 million members, all cadres and members of
affiliated communist organizations. In a population of 100
million, this would mean 20 percent, or 1 in every 5 Indonesians,
were communists.
When the Armed Forces arrested 60,000 communists during
mopping up operations, 4,000 were categorized as class A
prisoners and were brought to trial. The rest were later sent
home.
What is the situation now? I thought that people had forgotten
communists and communism. After our achievement in improving the
country's economic condition and increasing national wealth, I
should say there is no place for communism since this ideology
thrives on poverty. What more, with the continuous and tireless
efforts of the government to educate people in Pancasila and the
1945 Constitution for years on end, I would say that the two,
Pancasila and the Constitution, should by now have become an
inseparable part of people's lives.
Aside from the aforementioned, religious mores have
intensified among the population. So why do I have the impression
that we still lack confidence, mentally and physically, when I
read about communism day in and day out? Writing about communists
only makes them unwittingly "popular".
Reading about communism might evoke curiosity in the younger
generation, who were not around in those days of insecurity and
hardship. Speaking from a psychological viewpoint, the unknown
attracts and people tend to side with the underdog. In my
opinion, we should treat them as unimportant and as outcasts. Let
intelligence organizations do the job effectively and
unobtrusively.
Don't promote their cause. We should eliminate the tools they
use, like poverty, social jealousy, religious intolerance,
corruption, student fights, unrest and dissatisfaction in
general. We should not issue unnecessary statements as made by
the secretary-general of the Indonesian Civil Servants Corps, or
threats such as those made by the mayor of Surabaya. These are
all welcomed material for communists.
Leadership is not easy. It does not mean that one should be
bossy. The saying goes that a boss leans on his authority, but a
leader counts on goodwill. The wind is always strongest in the
top of the tree. We should act like a rice stalk, the fuller the
stalk the lower it bows.
In short, what I wanted to say is, stop giving communists and
communism free advertising space. Rely on the power of Pancasila
and the Constitution.
SOEGIH ARTO
Jakarta