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.