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We will not surrender to the intimidation and attacks
Papernas Press Statement - March 29, 2007
On Thursday 29 March 2007 at 11 am hundreds of member of the Islamic defenders front (FPI), the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and other similar groups attacked a Papernas mass action on Jl. General Sudirman while they were traveling in a convoying towards the Hotel Shangri-la and to Tugu Proklamasi, where they were to gather for the nationalization of the mining industry that is currently in the hands of foreign companies. At the site of the mass rally these same groups waited in order to disrupt the mass rally – in case the Papernas masses arrived at their destination.
The plan to hold the mass rally was postponed especially after the police stated that they were not able to guarantee the safety of the Papernas members as they marched to their destination or at the proclamation monument itself.
Several weeks before, a Papernas regional conference in Batu East Java East Java – which had already fulfilled all the legal requirements – experienced the same kind of action by reactionary groups and as well as police ignorance. Prior to this in September 2006 the declaration of the preparatory committee of Papernas was threaten and repressed. There was also an attack on the founding congress of the Papernas on 18-20 January 2007 in Kaliurang, Yogyakarta.
At the same time, similar kinds of incidents occurred at seminars and discussion forums by several NGOs and other people's organizations. The instigators of these reactionary actions have been from the same kinds of organizations including FAKI (Indonesian anti communist front), FPI Islamic defenders front and the Pancamarga Youth group.
We believe that this series of thuggish actions did not occur spontaneously and in no way reflects the aspirations of ordinary people. In the past the New Order state systematically made various regulations as well as instruments of violence to impede and kill off the people's political aspirations and movements. The issue of communism is the main weapon and a scapegoat that is used to (disperse), repress and ban organizations. It is also used to frighten the people that have received miss information in relation to communism and Indonesian political history that was established by the New Order.
In the recent past this has been demonstrated again, when the Attorney General Intelligence unit issued an instruction to withdraw school history books that were produced for the year 2004 school curriculum, giving the reason that the section on the historical tragedy of 1965 did not identify the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as the agents of the 30 September movement. This is despite the fact that foreign and Indonesian scientific research conducted by reliable historical research institutes say that there is no evidence that proves that the agents of the tragedy of 1965 were the PKI. There is in fact more historical evidence that indicates the involvement of former President Suharto as the primary agent in the 1965 tragedy.
Scientific research indicates that there was a mutually beneficial relationship between the politics of the New Order government and the emergence of the gangster organizations that attacked Papernas. This is expressed in the results of the research of Ian Douglas Wilson, PhD, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Australia, 2005 in his book "Reformasi: The Struggle for Power in Post-Soeharto Indonesia", Kevin O'Rourke, 2002.
They state that these groups act as the servants or assistants of the regime, using methods that the form of physical and psychological intimidation in carrying out their assignment to "maintain the regime" including intimidating and attacking critics of the government, organizing pro-government demonstrations and obtaining funding from "official" state criminal activities such as extortion and protection.
The people need to know this because up until now it turns out that the government still supports the politics of the New Order that systematically accuses organization A or B of being communists with the intention of blocking the development of people's participation in politics.
This is also what has happened to Papernas. We have been arbitrarily accused of being communists and that our program of Three Banners smacks of communism. (Remember one of the reasons the police headquarters consistently stalled the process of providing permission for the Papernas congress in Yogyakarta was because they asked us to delete the three banners from our program). Even thought it is clear that our program, in particular the Three Banners, has an anti-imperialist character that was born in order to provide an answer to the crisis that has descended upon Indonesia. Consider the following:
The government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (SBY-JK) and their predecessors, together with the majority of the members of parliament serve the interests of foreign imperialists, especially after the recent ratification of the foreign investment laws along with many other pro-imperialist policies.
Papernas is the only political party that explicitly rejects these forms of foreign imperialism. The mass rally that Papernas planned to hold at the Proclamation Monument explicitly aimed to go straight to the heart of the government's policies and call on the people of Indonesia to nationalize the foreign controlled mining industry and reject the ratification of the new foreign investment laws.
The attack that was consciously carried out against Papernas to stop the mass rally from taking place was carried out by a group of paid thugs. The deliberate lack of seriousness on the part of the police in carrying out their responsibility in providing permission and security for Papernas activities.
We conclude that from all of these events, which have obstructed Papernas' activities both in Jakarta and in other regions, that there is a certain foreign imperialist scenario being carried out by their agents in the form of the puppet regime of SBY-JK. A scenario that clears the way for the imperialists to carrying out their colonization and exploitation of the Indonesian nation, including our natural resources, as well as to weaken the most advanced sections of the people's movement that opposes imperialism. The reactionary groups that attacked us are only an extension of the hand of the puppet regime although we must continue to take action legally because the state is a constitutional state.
In conclusion we state that:
Jakarta, 29 March 2007
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