Truth commission urged to unveil 1965 bloodshed

JAKARTA (JP): An observer suggested on Tuesday the first task undertaken by the government's proposed truth and reconciliation commission be to unveil the truth behind the mass killings that followed the 1965 abortive coup blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Speaking at a seminar here, researcher Daniel Dakidhae said the bloodshed was the beginning of the country's history of violence perpetrated by the state.

"Following (the mass killings), the state committed violence and manipulated history for the New Order regime's sake," Daniel, who heads Kompas daily's research and development department, said.

The seminar, titled Human Right Abuses Cases Solution: Between Truth and Justice, was sponsored by the Institute for Study and Social Advocacy.

Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed in the military-backed operation to root out suspected communists following the attempted coup, but foreign reports put the number at 500,000.

Human rights campaigners have called for the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission to allow the country to come to terms with its traumatic past. President Abdurrahman Wahid has proposed establishing a commission based on a similar one set up in South Africa.

Daniel suspected the 1965 coup attempt was the result of an internal dispute within the Army, pointing to the fact that seven Army generals were murdered in the incident.

"(The New Order regime) always said elements of the Army who were influenced by PKI were involved in the coup attempt," Daniel said, citing a new book written by Saskia Eleonora Wieringa titled The Politicization of Gender Relations in Indonesia.

Daniel suggested the truth and reconciliation commission look into human right abuses which occurred during Soeharto's reign and the administration of president B.J. Habibie, whose term in office ended in October last year.

He also asked the public to support President Abdurrahman Wahid's proposal to revoke a 1966 Provisional People's Consultative Assembly decree banning communism in Indonesia.

Separately, noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid suggested the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) form the backbone of the planned commission.

"I believe the commission should recruit personnel from inside Komnas HAM and involve experts or activists," Nurcholish said on the sidelines of a seminar on Islam and democracy.

He hailed the plan to establish the commission, saying it was a positive way to deal with past atrocities in the country.

Support for the plan also came from State Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad, who said such a commission was imperative because not all past human rights abuses could be settled in the courts.

Hasballah said some past human rights violations could not be tried due to technical reasons.

"Maybe the suspects are already dead or the hard evidence and witnesses are no longer available," Hasballah said following a ceremony installing a number of top officials in his office.

During his visit to South Africa on Saturday, President Abdurrahman discussed establishing a truth and reconciliation commission with his counterpart President Thabo Mbeki.

Mbeki said his government was ready to assist Jakarta in setting up a commission.

Hasballah said a political consensus among the government, legislators and the people was needed to determine how far back in the country's past the proposed commission would go to address human rights abuses.

He also said the commission should be allowed to restore the good names of those who were victims of past human rights abuses. (08/dja/jun)