REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By: HM. Soedibyo
On April 18-19, 2016 the Symposium on the Tragedy of 1965 was held in Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta. The Symposium was initiated by Lieut. Gen (Ret) Agus Widjoyo as the member of the Association of the Youth of the Nation and officially taken over by the National Commission on Human Right and Sidarto Danusubroto, a politician member of the Council of the Presidential Adviser to convey the idea to The Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Lieut. Gen (Ret) Luhut B Pandjaitan.
Most probably the proposal was approved by President Jokowi, realizing that officially on behalf of the Government, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Lieut. Gen (Ret) Luhut B Pandjaitan agreed with the proposal of the National Commission on Human Right and a member of the Council of the Presidential Adviser Sidarto Danusubroto. The Coordinating Minister for the Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Lieut. General (Ret)Luhut B Pandjatan appointed Lieut. General (Ret) Agus Widjoyo, who is also incidentally The Governor of The National Resilience Institute to lead the Steering Committee of the Symposium. As mentioned before Lieut. General (Ret) Agus Widjoyo is the member of the Association of the Youth of the Nation who initiated the conduct of the Symposium. The Association of the Youth of the Nation is the consultative forum among the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution Heroes and the Sons and Daughters of the leaders of the Communist Party of Indonesia. Lieut. General (Ret) Agus Widjoyo is the son of one of the Revolution Hero, Maj. Gen Soetoyo who was killed by the Communist Armed Unit in the early morning of Sept 30, 1965.
The Symposium was conducted on April 18-19, 2016 at Aryaduta Hotel Jakarta attended and participated by a numbers of former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia, the Human Right Activists, Lieut. Gen (Ret) Luhut B Pandjaitan who officially opened the Symposium and some others Government Officials, Lieut. Gen (Ret) Agus Widjoyo Chief of the Steering Committee and also invited as a speaker was Lieut. General (Ret) Sintong Pandjaitan, the former Commander of The Special Forces Command. He was still a young officer when the failed Communist Coup happened in 1965. He came to the Symposium was in his own capacity did not represent any organization.
The result of the Symposium has not yet been released totally, but one very crucial problem of the conclusion namely the implementation of the information reported by the former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia in the Symposium that thousands of communist Party members and its supporters had been killed and their remains were buried collectively in hundreds of mass-graves scattered in all around the Country of Indonesia especially in Java island apparently has become the sensitive issue in the country political atmosphere.
Based on this evidence the former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia demanded the Government to apologize to the victims of the national tragedy of 1965 because in the killing of thousands members of the Communist Party of Indonesia in the tragedy of 1965 it was also involved the Government Security Forces. This evidence according to the former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia is clearly human right violation that President Jokowi had incidentally promised to solve it.
The report on hundreds of the mass-grave of thousands of the remains of the Communist Party members who were killed in the tragedy of 1965 has apparently become the crucial burden of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs because President Jokowi had ordered him to check the truth of it. Apparently this effort will not be easy tasks, because hundreds of the so called mass-graves have to be exhumed. Politically the response of President Jokowi is indicating that Government considered the report as formal information.
Observing the problem Minister of Defense Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, does not agree with President Jokowi policy to respond the information and ordering Minister of Poltical, Legal and Security Affairs Lieut. Gen. (Ret) Luhut B Pandjaitan to exhume the mass grave. The idea of President Jokowi is to check the reports given by the former members of the Communist Party in the Symposium whether it is true or false. However Minister of Defense likely thought the Government attitude to respond the report is a political setback , because the Government had always rejected the issue of the mass killing in 1965. General (Ret) Ryamizard Ryacudu is also of the opinion that the issue of the mass grave is only reported by former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia, the report is not objective, the value of the information is considered rumor.
The Government idea is the report have to be checked and the result of the checking will be used as the basis of the Government policy to response the demand of the former members and the supporters of the Communist Party of Indonesia. General Ryamizard is likely of the opinion it is useless and unwise step.
Assessment.
It had been since some years ago the former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia who are still alive, supported by the National Commission on Human Right were describing the Security Forces of the Government had been involved in the killing happened in 1965. Accordingly the former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia demanded the Government to apologize to the victims and to give the compensation to the victims. The demand for rehabilitation had been also raised because the detention applied to the members and the supporters of the Communist Party of Indonesia were done without trial. Accordingly the Government should also to rehabilitate the loss faced by the victims.
Incidentally the issue of the human right in the world had also entering Indonesia and giving chance to the former members of the Communist Party to manipulate the issue for the corner stone of their survival. The first demand of the former members and the supporters of the Communist Party of Indonesia, was the compensation and the rehabilitation for the victims and lately the demand was the Government should apologize to the victims of the tragedy of 1965. From those demand it is clearly indicating that the final goal of their activities will be the demand of the rehabilitation of the Communist Party of Indonesia.
The strategic movement of the communist struggle had been detected lately, indicated by the effort of the former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia and its supporters to create the so called “ to build up the revolutionary situation of the communist powers into the highest situation and move” the objective of the movement will be “the revolutionary action to grasp the political power”. The various political evidences was detected lately by the National Police under the leadership of General of Police Hadrotin Haiti, such as the active meeting among the former members of the Communist Party of Indonesia under the cover of social and friendly purpose, the aggressive selling of various books written by the new generation of the Communist Community, the making of movie film concerning their movements, insulting the Pancasila integrity (the climb up and to sit on the head of the statue of the Revolutionary Heroes in Medan by a number of young men) and the selling of various made dress with the communist logo “the hammer and the sticle” and it was likely the Symposium of the Tragedy of 1965 is a part of important movement to build up the revolutionary situation among the remnant of the Communist supporters. So apparently the symposium of the tragedy of 1965 is a political steps of the remnants of the Communist Party supporters to embark into the more fundamental action. So it is also clear the symposium on the tragedy of 1965 is a snowballing issue.
The idea of the conduct of the Symposium on the Tragedy of 1965 was just only considered from the academic and moral attitude points of view, no political analysis was made to judge it from the Communist Party strategy and tactics. Lieut. Gen (Ret) Agus Widjoyo is very popular and considered brilliant intellectual retired General graduated from the American University, but likely he is not political analyst. The Symposium on the Tragedy of 1965 is definitely surprise idea responded happily by the Communist Group. The Tragedy of 1965 is definitely a political affairs it is not just the killing problem among the society. To conduct the Symposium just for talking about the killing is really very absurd’.
The active and correct action of the National Police to cope with the activities of the leftist based on the existing Law and Regulation unfortunately had been corrected as exaggerated and accordingly the Police were reminded to act softly against all the activities considered as influenced by the leftist interest. Certainly the Rightist are appreciating the correct action of the Police against the activities of the leftist and hoping the National Police to continue its rapid and strong action against the effort of the leftist to create “ the revolutionary situation of the communist power into the top and move to catch up the political power” It was sorry that the approval of the conduct of the Symposium of National Tragedy of 1965 was not likely discussed intensively by the Complete Cabinet Meeting and it was also very sorry that the issue of the existence of hundreds of the mass graves was not discussed completely by the Cabinet Meeting.
Luckily the Pancasila Power Bloc is strong enough and General Ryamizard Ryacudu will likely support the Army Retired Personnel to conduct also the Symposium on the tragedy of 1965, as the political conspiracy organized by the Special Bureau of the Communist Party of Indonesia to grasp political power of this country.
Conclusion.
The Symposium on the Tragedy of 1965 initiated by Lieut. Gen (Ret) Agus Widjoyo is sound academic and humanly with high standard of moral value, but apparently politically it was manipulated by the Leftist existing in this country to lead the way for the rehabilitation of the Communist Party of Indonesia.The conduct of the Symposium on Tragedy of 1965 was not pertinently considered from the political analysis point of view that the Tragedy of 1965 was a political adventure provoked by the Communist Party of Indonesia to grasp the political power of this country. The victims of death among the members of the Communist Party of Indonesia is certainly the risk of its political adventure.
It is likely important for the Peoples Consultative Assembly as the authorize Body to implement the Peoples Sovereignty to renew the Decision of the People’s Consultative Assembly No XXV/1966 that Communism and Communist Party are forbidden to exist in Indonesia.
It will be likely wise that The Government to decide to stop the further action of the Symposium on the Tragedy of 1965 organized by the National Commission on Human Right and Sidarto Danusubroto a politician member of The Council of the Presidential Adviser.
*The writer is a security and an intelligence observer. Residing in Jakarta.
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