Time for reflection

Although more than 2,000 years have since passed, Plato's ancient saying seems to be as hard to refute as ever. He suggested there is one principle of justice, which is the interest of the stronger. With the benefit of hindsight on the turbulent past, one might add that sometimes that may be just as well.

For example, there can be little doubt that justice would have had a completely different appearance in Indonesia today had the forces of change been unable to stem the communist tide in the crisis year of 1965, when the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) made its grab for power and failed.

Fortunately, as most of us now have reason to say, the coup attempt was crushed and the communist tide was not only checked, but turned. Those who are not "leftist" and have lived through the first half of the 1960s -- those "years of living dangerously" -- will surely remember the harassment, the ordeals and the general mood of uncertainty which they had to bear.

For that reason, it is easy to understand why the great majority of Indonesians welcomed the measures that were taken during that crucial period, right after the coup, to ensure that the newly restored democratic order would endure. Those measures included the exclusion of members of the disbanded Communist Party and their sympathizers from vital positions -- in government and in the armed services in particular, but also in many other institutions, both government and private.

In the popular vernacular, individuals untainted by communist links or sympathies are known as bersih diri (personally clean) and bersih lingkungan (clean of environment). Only people who are both personally and environmentally "clean" -- which is to say, are untainted by communist links or sympathies -- are eligible for jobs or positions in either government or private institutions, and of course, the Armed Forces, or for membership in organizations considered to be of strategic importance to the state.

In practice, most institutions and organizations prefer to play it safe and require that applicants provide certificates of "cleanliness," which are obtainable through a screening process by appointed officials. This process has often been stretched to the point that even grandchildren of former communists or communist sympathizers have been screened out. Cases are known of marriage engagements that were broken off for fear that an "unclean" spouse would tarnish the political "purity" of the other.

Times have changed, however. The process to weed out the political undesirables has been widely criticized as being in violation of human rights as it discriminates and denies certain citizens the right to a decent life. One of the strongest arguments so far in favor of doing away with the procedure has been raised by Justice Bismar Siregar of the Supreme Court.

Too many innocent people, according to Bismar, are being punished for crimes they never committed. "It is senseless to talk about providing protection for victims of crimes when before our very eyes many people are punished from the moment they are born," Bismar told a seminar on legal protection, as reported by the news magazine Editor.

Considering all this, it is indeed heartening to learn that the government is now considering loosening the screening procedure. Almost thirty years have passed since the coup attempt. The perpetrators of the drama are either elderly or have already passed away, and many of their children are now parents themselves.

A new generation of Indonesians is on the rise. It is time that we put the past to rest and look ahead towards building a more just and more prosperous society.

As for the latent danger of communism, it may be well for us to ponder Bismar's reminder that this is a danger of our own creation. "Let us hope that no victim of cruelty offers his prayer to Allah. Allah might answer in his defense. Then, His blessings will no longer be upon us."