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127 anti-communist groups ready to fight if 1965 case goes to court

Inilah.com - August 22, 2012

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Agus Rahmat, Jakarta – One of the Golkar Party's mass organisations, Kosgoro 1975 (Mutual Assistance Cooperative) is opposing the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) that the government apologise to the families of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Kosgoro believes that such an apology would again give rise to horizontal conflicts.

This was conveyed by the chairperson of Kosgoro's 1957 central leadership board Leo Nababan. Nababan even emphasised that Kosgoro is ready to back GP Ansor (Ansor Youth Movement, the youth wing of the Islamic mass organisation Nahdlatul Ulama), which have said they will be on guard against such a move.

"The 127 anti-communist mass organisation supporters of Pancasila in 1965 that are part of the Pancasila Front are ready to block, particularly [our] youth generation allies in Ansor Nahdlatul Ulama if for example there are calls for the case to go to court. Once again don't go too far", said Nababan in a press release received by Inilah.com on Wednesday August 22.

Nababan, who is also the Deputy General Secretary of the Golkar Party, stated that the regulations on the PKI are still enshrined in a People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) decree. This being the case, Komnas HAM cannot all of a sudden recommend that the Indonesian government apologies to the families of the PKI. "The TAP MPRS No. XXX/1996 on communist teachings has not been revoked", he said.

For Nababan, this is still a very sensitive issue. He is concerned that horizontal conflicts could erupt within society. According to Nababan, at present the lives of the families of former PKI members are quite good, particularly with the restoration of their political rights".

"And I don't want NKRI [the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia] to collapse and be full of blood again if a horizontal conflict occurs. Right now the lives of the PKI families are adequate. It is sufficient that their political rights have been restored", he asserted. (bay)

Notes:

1. Tap MPRS XXV/1966: Provisional People's Consultative Assembly Decree Number XXV/1966 on the Dissolution of the Indonesian Communist Party and Prohibitions on Marxist, Leninist and Communist Teachings.

2. Former PKI members and others accused of involvement in the alleged 1965 coup suffered decades of stigmatisation and discrimination. They were not allowed to become civil servants, military or police officers, teachers, preachers or legislators and their IDs were labelled with “ET” (ex-political prisoner). Following a Constitutional Court ruling in 2004 former PKI members were allowed to contest elections and in 2006 the government deleted the ET label on IDs.

[Kosgoro Tolak Usul Komnasham Terkait Keluarga PKI - Inilah.com. Rabu, 22 Agustus 2012. Translated by James Balowski.]

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