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FPI merely imagining PKI threat, says expert
A specter is haunting Indonesia -the specter of communism
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specter is haunting Indonesia -the specter of communism. Not likely, an observer and an official said, responding to the claim by the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).
A political and military observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Hermawan Sulistyo, said Friday that those who claimed the disbanded Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was planning a resurgence were "creating an imaginary enemy".
"What power does the PKI have now? It can no longer do anything - it's an old story from 40 years ago," Hermawan told the The Jakarta Post, referring to the group that is believed to have attempted a coup in 1965.
Dozens of people donning the FPI symbol raided and broke up a meeting in a restaurant in Banyuwangi involving members of the House of Representatives committee overseeing health affairs.
The FPI accused the legislators of holding a reunion for former members of the PKI. One of the lawmakers, Ribka Tjiptaning from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, is the author of a memoir titled, I'm proud to be the daughter of a PKI member.
FPI deputy secretary-general Awit Mashuri told TVOne that the hard-line group always "coordinated" with the state before it took action, dismissing allegations that it acted unlawfully.
"The information that 65 people were gathering came from the district military intelligent unit," Awit said.
Referring to the FPI's claim that the Indonesian Military (TNI) encouraged them to act against the meeting, Hermawan said the TNI should focus on real threats.
"The PKI is an unreal threat. Why doesn't the TNI focus on real threats including domestic and foreign ones, such as terrorism and the Ambalat issue *a boundary dispute with Malaysia*?" he said.
Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. I Wayan Medhio, however, denied the FPI's statement that the TNI had been involved in the Banyuwangi raid.
"The military has no connection whatsoever with the FPI. It is not the duty of the military *to inform FPI members on activities relating to the PKI*. We will take action against our member who did this," Wayan told the Post.
He said the government still considered communism a "latent threat" to the nation.
"What we should be more worried about, however, is the fact that the public is still easily agitated every time rumors spring up *about the return of communism*.
"The problem today actually lies in that there have been physical clashes between people who are accused of being supporters of the PKI and those who are against it," Wayan said.
Hermawan said prominent communist countries like Russia and China had turned toward capitalism, adding that communism in Indonesia was a term pinned on atheists by majority Muslim communities.
Secretary-general of the FPI's Jakarta branch, Habib Novel, said the raided meeting "was actually a reunion of PKI members" or their sympathizers.
Ribka said the meeting had discussed a new health bill.
Following the alleged intervention, Ribka reported the FPI to the police and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
"Komnas HAM should issue a recommendation to ban the FPI because of its frequent violations against human rights", Ribka said.
National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Marwoto Suto said it would follow-up on the report.
Following the PKI coup on Sept. 30, 1965, widespread killings were conducted throughout the country, which may say target suspected communists. Reports vary on how many were killed - with most figures falling between 500,000 and 2 million. Family members of PKI supporters have faced discrimination since.
