REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By: Toas H *)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has instructed law enforcers to enforce the laws against the use of communist imagery, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti has said.

"Currently, a lot of merchandise and activities reference communism. The President has given a direction to take legal action against this," Badrodin said at the State Palace on Tuesday, adding that the prevention of the dissemination of communism, Leninism and Marxism in Indonesia was based on a decree of the Temporary People’s Consultative Assembly issued in 1966. "That has already clearly been instructed. The law enforcement will be assisted by the Indonesian Army as well," he said.

Attorney General Prasetyo added his institution would follow up any kind of indication or effort to revive communism in the country. "Efforts to promote this viewpoint must be prevented," he asserted.

Earlier, the police released two people detained for selling T-shirts of German-based trash metal band Kreator in Blok M Mall and Blok M Square in South Jakarta, which were emblazoned with the hammer and sickle, similar to the logo of the defunct Indonesian Communist Party ( PKI ), after finding no evidence of treason.

Meanwhile, a number of events, shows and discussions on the 1965 communist purge have been shut down since last year.

The latest controversy involved the third ASEAN Literary Festival in Jakarta last week in which protestors accused event organizers of aiming to promote communism and demanded the annual event be shut down following discussions planned on the 1965 tragedy and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT ) issues. The event proceeded under police protection.

Badrodin said the police would also use the Criminal Code to enforce the law related to communism, therefore, he added, the police could enforce the law against the distribution of communist imagery  in the form of T-shirts and other material like movies promoting communism.

Meanwhile, informal leader in Air Putih Districts, North Sumatera has said the rising of communist imagery and communist issue are one of the efforts to close another a sensitive issue such as Chinese’s investment in Indonesia and an issue of the occupation national assets by foreigners. “We have State Intelligence Agency (BIN) which has a capability to detect communist potential in Indonesia. We are still reject communist raising and all of efforts to purge communist image,” he assserted and went on. The same opinion has launched by some NGO’s in Batubara District, North Sumatra. “Some of communist atributes such as hammer and sickle T-shirts which is found in some places in Indonesia is one of indication from communist influence rising. We want law enforcement officers will be taken a seriously charged to communist symphatizer, because a communist ideology doesn’t relevant with Pancasila. A communist ideology was rejected the pressence of God,” he added.

The Indication of a Communist Ideology is Rising

Nowadays, the use of a communist imagery and the indication of the rising ones are revealed in several provinces in Indonesia through social media, hammer and sickle T-shirts which is allegedly produced by a communist symphatizer, some books about communist teachings which is found in some areas in Indonesia and through music.

One of indication of the rising efforts to promote a communist teachings is the launching of Karl Marx school in one of institute in Bandung, West Java. One of teachings material is a teater creation base on Marx’s thoughts. Although it is only for the sake of art, but the unfortunate thing is that the organizers use the thinking world communist leaders. Meanwhile, because the teaching of Karl Marx School at one of institute in Bandung are a lecturer of ones, it can be concluded that this activity is fully supported by the campus.

Another indication is some of books which are indicated contain a communist teachings such as Socialism criticism and development program, When the storm will pass, Tan Malaka A Tussle to Republic 1897-1925, Freedom Ethics, Marx’s for the Beginner are founded in some district in Indonesia.

Meanwhile in Mojokerto City, East Java, law enforcement apparatus has interograted band vocalist who is song a “Genjer-genjer” lyrics, because these one is a communist lyrics itself. These facts is shown to us a number of musician especially from youth generation doesn’t understand about a communist lyrics. These condition had been created since the fall of new era regime on 1997 because in reformation’s era the socialization of state ideology Pancasila didn’t implement periodically and continously.

After G30S incident, the people started to believe that communism has gone. Yet, later it was known that communism has transformed itself into a new idea called “new-left”, in which the movement was conducted by creating an opposition group to the government in power. All people know that the symbol of the Indonesian Communist Party/PKI is hammer and sickle. Until now, that symbol can still be found in some areas especially in Java.

In addition, public must also have known that some of the members of House of Representative (DPR) are the adherent of communism. Ribka Tjiptaning even dubs herself as “child of PKI”, while Budiman Sujatmiko is known as the founder as well as former leader of People Democratic Party (PRD). Historically speaking, PRD is a party that also adheres to radical communism like its predecessor, PKI, in conducting massive terror and agitation propaganda against its opposition.

Many believe that the rise of PKI in Indonesia had been started since the release of Njoto’s vice chair, Carmel Budiardjo, a British national who helped him conducting various propaganda. Soon he arrived at UK, he established an anti-Indonesia organization named TAPOL, aiming to destroy the credibility of Indonesia abroad by exploiting human rights issues and G30S/PKI. TAPOL’s goal to awaken the communism in Indonesia was then greatly supported by the release of other PKI detainees from Buru Island in 1979. Three of them are Hasjim Rachman, Joesoef Isak, and Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who next established a publishing company named Hasta Mitra in 1980 that initially accommodated 20 other PKI detainees.

Looking at current development, the efforts to bring back communism in Indonesia are conducted in various ways. In political path, the activists have started to introduce PRD for Legislative Election in 2019 by using “hammer and sicle” symbol in various cocil activities. This, indeedm indicates a strong determination and serious efforts of pro communist activists to spread their influences in Indonesian government. Considering the fact that the principles of communist ideology are totally different from the principles of Pancasila that become the identity of our nation, we must reject and criticize any effort to bring back communism into existence in Indonesia. Indonesia is a religion based country that uphold the justice. Thus, we cannot let communism to develop, instead we have to develop or sense of nationalism.

Remembering the effects of communist rising can be devastated for national integrity situation and its can be triggered uncertainty security and political situation, so that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s instruction to law enforcers to enforce the laws against the use of communist imagery should be implemented as soon as possible.

*) The writer is a political observer and researcher.

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