'Time to let the commies come in from the cold'

'Time to let the commies come in from the cold'

Many people have welcomed the Constitution Court's decision to
let former members and relatives of former members of the now
banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) to run in legislative
elections. The Jakarta Post spoke with some residents about the
issue.

Toni Purnama, 29, works as a computer operator at a publishing
company in Palmerah, West Jakarta. He lives with his wife in
Jakasampurna, Bekasi:

These people have been discriminated against by the government
and society for a long time now. I agree that it is time to end
their status as second-class citizens.

It's not fair to revoke their political rights just because
they were somehow linked to former PKI members or the party's
organizations.

In school, we were taught that communism is evil and that
those who believed in the ideology were enemies of the state. But
now that we know more about communism and can read books about it
without facing persecution, this long-nurtured fear of communism
has become a joke.

Francesca, 30, is a shop attendant in Jatinegara, East
Jakarta, where she also lives:

I know that there is a debate about whether it was the right
decision to reinstate the political rights (of former PKI
members). But I don't think that is the point. We should look at
ourselves: Can we live as a nation while holding grudges against
each other?

Although no one from my family was ever accused of being a
member of the PKI, it hurt when someone pointed at you and said,
"You are PKI!" This label isolated you from the rest of society
and seemed to give people the right to abuse you.

--The Jakarta Post