The virtue of forgiveness
The virtue of forgiveness
A wise elderly citizen has reminded the nation that it should
spare a thought for the fate of the former members of the banned
Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) who, despite being released some
17 years ago from various detention camps, have yet to be treated
like other members of society.
The former communist activists, who are known here as "ex-
tapol" (ex-political detainees), number more than 10,000. To this
day they continue to bear the heavy burden of state
discrimination: their ID cards bear a special mark identifying
them as former political detainees.
Roeslan Abdulgani, a former ideological adviser of President
Soeharto, said recently that the government should declare a
general amnesty for these people, since many of them have entered
old age. His idea has received approval from various circles,
including the Legal Aid Institute and the National Commission on
Human Rights.
The authorities, however, in particular the security forces,
seem to have their own reasons for leaving the status of former
communists as it is. It is not known how many more years this
situation will continue. Many of the former political detainees
are now in frail health and it may be for this reason that some
people have voiced concern that former communists may die as "ex-
tapol", which would mean that they would have to bear the badge
of eternal sin even in their graves.
This will, of course, give the impression that ours is a
vengeful nation which has not learned to forgive its own members.
It may be true that before the 1965 coup the "ex-tapol" were
active in anti-state activities which almost plunged this nation
into an abyss, and that in their ideological arrogance they
succeeded in intimidating the anti-communist majority. However,
we should not forget that many of them, especially those who were
placed in the so-called "B" category -- most of whom were said to
have had prior knowledge of the planned communist coup attempt in
October 1965 -- were never brought to trial for lack of evidence.
This has left a dark spot on our history because ever since
independence this nation had declared that it respected the rule
of law. But not only were those people denied a fair trial, they
were also exiled to an island detention camp called Buru, where
they were imprisoned for many years.
Now, although they have been allowed back into society for
almost two decades, they still have to bear the trademark of
their past sins on their ID cards. At the same time, certain
groups have even, on occasion, used the threat of communism for
their own political ends.
Roeslan's idea is relevant to our situation and it is timely.
This week most Indonesians are still celebrating Idul Fitri. One
of the virtues most emphasized at Idul Fitri is that of
forgiveness and reconciliation. If God, the creator of heaven and
hell, is always ready to pardon human beings who repent, then why
not we, too, as nation which respects religious teachings?
In August Indonesians will celebrate the 50th anniversary of
this Republic. The time seems to have come for us to ask
ourselves: Should we continue to deny these brothers and sisters
forgiveness and therefore carry them, with all their unforgiven
sins, into the next half-century of this Republic's history.
It seems unnecessary, because the success of our national
development efforts over the last three decades has made us
strong enough mentally, socially and economically to face those
former detainees, many of whom are now too old, anyway, to pose
any threat to us. This nation has a solid spirit of self-
confidence.
We would do well to remember the words of President Soeharto
in his state-of-the-nation address in Aug. 1976, when he said
that, whatever the sins committed by the "ex-tapol", they were
still members of the Indonesian family and "we should accept them
back into our society."
The President's words seem to provide good food for thought
for the government in the months leading up to the 50th
anniversary of our existence as a free nation.