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Army orders screening of anti-communist propaganda film to counter efforts to 'distort history'
Tempo - September 15, 2017
The order, which has been confirmed by TNI Information Centre Chief Brigadier General Wuryanto, was sent by SMS message.
"The date 30 September is a very important moment for the Indonesian nation. Currently there are a lot of attempts to distort the historical facts about the September 30, 1965 affair", said Wuryanto in an SMS message on Friday September 15.
Wuryanto is of the view that these film screenings are important to get the younger generation to understand history. He believes that since the reformasi era [the reform era that began in 1998], history, [the state ideology] Pancasila and character building have not been taught enough in school.
He also mentioned several other reasons why the TNI AD needs to encourage the public to watch the film. "[There are] efforts by a group of people to repeal the Tap MPRS No XXV/1996, efforts to push the government to apologies to the PKI, and others", he said.
Thus from all this, according to Wuryanto, the TNI needs to order all of its personnel to again watch the G30S/PKI film.
The film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI, which was written and directed by Arifin C. Noer, was made in 1984 during the era of former president Suharto. The film tells the story of a rebellion by the PKI which – according to the government's version of history – occurred on September 30, 1965.
During the New Order era, it was obligatory for all television stations to broadcast the G30S/PKI film on September 30 each year. All schools required their students to watch the film then conduct a review or critique. In 1998, in conjunction with the overthrow of the New Order regime, the requirement was revoked.
The film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI is controversial and has been referred to as an effort to rewrite history in the interests of maintaining the power and mass hegemony of the Suharto regime.
After the New Order regime collapsed, many parties have spoken up questioning the validity of the historical narrative built by the government in its depiction of the September 30, 1965 affair.
Notes
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.
[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was TNI AD Gelar Nonton Bareng Film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI.]
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