REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the National Campaign Team (TKN) of Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin, Ahmad Basarah asked all parties to stop quarrelling over the issue of the voting rights for families and descendants of former Indonesia Communist Party (PKI)'s members. He said, there was no laws that prohibit them to use their rights to vote.
Basarah said, based on MPR Decree Number I of 2003 about the review of material and legal status of all TAP MPRS / MPR, regulated in Article 2 of the TAP MPR that TAP MPRS Number XXV 1966 about the Dissolution of the PKI and the Prohibition of Communist Teachings declared still valid with provisions, namely in its implementation must pay attention to the principles of humanitarian democracy and human rights.
"Thus PKI descendants have the right to live normally in society and the state as part of Indonesian citizens and have the same rights and obligations as other Indonesian citizens," he said in an official statement in Jakarta on Wednesday (Jan 30).
Basarah emphasized that former PKI descendants and families are not allowed to re-establish PKI organization or social political organization based on communism or spreading the teachings of communism. Prohibition of the PKI and its communist teachings in Indonesia was final and had become a national consensus as stipulated in the provisions of TAP MPRS Number XXV in 1966 and further strengthened by TAP MPR Number I of 2003.
Previously, younger brother of Prabowo Subianto, Hashim Djojohadikusumo said that his side received support related to Prabowo's presidential nomination from all parties. In fact, Hashim also revealed that Prabowo's camp gained support from parties considered controversial starting from former Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) members, Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members, and PKI's descendants.
Basarah said, the statement made by Hashim was a normative argument. However, PDIP Deputy Secretary General asked Hashim to complete his statement with an invitation to all parties to stop the issue of the PKI and communism.
"Including to those who accused certain parties as PKI and communists without facts," he said.