Tritura protests: 30 years ago today
Tritura protests: 30 years ago today
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat
JAKARTA (JP): Thirty-years ago today students throughout Jakarta began a two-month long demonstration demanding the dismantling of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), a reshuffle of the cabinet and reduction of prices.
The demonstrations proved to be a milestone in the country's history as it signaled an end to Communism here, the fall of President Sukarno and the birth of the "New Order" administration under the leadership of Soeharto.
The three demands became popularly known by their Indonesian acronyms Tritura, and conceived one of the largest mass people's movements known since Indonesia's independence in 1945.
The story of Tritura dates back to the fateful events of the night of Sept. 30, 1965, when military officers associated with the PKI launched a coup to remove what they called a Board of Generals whom they claimed were plotting to remove President Sukarno.
Under the leadership of then Maj. Gen. Soeharto the army swiftly crushed the insurrection.
Despite promising to act against the political perpetrators of the coup, the people perceived that Sukarno was moving too slowly in acting against PKI who were identified as the culprits behind the failed coup.
For the next four months little was being done to purge the Dwikora cabinet of Communist sympathizers.
The situation was further perturbed by the dire economic conditions facing the nation.
Food and consumer prices were soaring, with runaway inflation of 650 percent a year.
Then on Dec. 13, 1965, the government announced the devaluation of the currency, from Rp 1,000 to a value of just one-rupiah. This decision was immediately followed by a hike in government tariffs and services. The new year failed to bring any economic respite for the people as the government decided to increase gasoline prices on Jan. 3, 1966.
As the people were became increasingly restless and the climate more tense, students began to band together to organize movements which reflected the demands of the people.
As early as October 1965, various students movements such as the United University Students of Indonesia (KAMI), had come together to establish the Front Pancasila to assert the need of ridding the country of communist influences.
The situation finally boiled over on Jan. 10, 1966 when, led by the yellow jacket students from the University of Indonesia, mass street demonstrations were launched from the University's campus on Jl. Salemba Raya, Central Jakarta, to demand the Tritura.
On the same day, a Fact Finding Commission set up by the government to investigate the September coup also reported back their findings and noted the people's strong desire for the President to take political action.
Then, on Jan. 12 students also held a big rally proclaiming the Tritura in front of the House of Representatives building.
Sukarno did not respond positively to the student demonstrations, and instead accused them of being proxies of neo- colonialism, imperialism and agents of the American Central Intelligence Agency.
Unjaded, students stepped up their protests. Then on Feb. 21, 1966, Sukarno reshuffled the cabinet and called it the "Perfected Dwikora Cabinet". It comprised of more than 102 Ministers.
Rather than cooling down tensions, the announcement heightened dissatisfaction since those who were known as staunch opponents of the PKI were removed from the cabinet.
Three-days later students launched a massive protest by deflating car tires and crippling traffic throughout Jakarta.
Demonstrators also descended on the palace.In the fracas that occurred, palace guards shot dead a student called Arief Rachman Hakim.
In anger Sukarno ordered the dissolution of KAMI the next day.
Other student movements retaliated against this decision in the ensuing weeks by attacking the Chinese news agency Hsin Hua bureau office in Jakarta and the Foreign Ministry building whose minister, Soebandrio, was regarded as a strong proponent of the PKI.
As the desperate situation continued, army officers stepped in and finally secured a letter from Sukarno mandating the disbandment of the PKI.
The letter issued on March 11, 1966, gave Soeharto, who was then Army Chief, a mandate to take the necessary steps to dissolve the PKI.
Based on the letter, Soeharto then took swift steps to outlaw the PKI and ordered all members to report by the end of March.
He then arrested 15 cabinet minister who were known cohorts of the PKI, including foreign minister Soebandrio.
Soebandrio was only released from prison in August 1995.
Known as Supersemar, the letter signed by Sukarno marked the outset of the New Order. In less than a year Soeharto had assumed the presidential seat.
The events surrounding those brief months shaped the nation's history. While not originally intended, the student protest which began on Jan. 10, 1966, helped seal the fate of an old regime while giving birth to a new one.
Thus while the start of a protest gathering on a university campus 30-years ago may seem distant today, its ramifications will continue to be felt by several generations to come.