Half a century after the eradication of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), the government remains haunted by an ideology that has largely ceased to exist in the world today.

An ongoing nationwide process of reconciliation over the 1965 tragedy that saw tens of thousands of people killed in a state-sponsored purge of suspected communists has been disrupted by a series of raids on cultural events and a crackdown on perceived expressions of communist symbolism.

Police and military personnel have taken to detaining people wearing T-shirts thought to be have PKI imagery in several regions.

The latest case occurred on Wednesday when police and soldiers arrested two activists from the Indigenous People’s Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) in Ternate, North Maluku, for wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the abbreviation “PKI”, despite the letters apparently standing for “Pecinta Kopi Indonesia”, or “Indonesian Coffee Lovers”.

After being interrogated about the T-shirts and the confiscation of several academic books on communism in their rooms, the two activists, Adlun Fiqri and Supriyadi Sawai were released after promising the police they would to never again wear the T-shirts or any communist, or indeed “PKI”, symbolism.

In Bandar Lampung, Lampung, on Sunday, the police arrested a university student during a music concert for wearing a T-shirt bearing the hammer-and-sickle logo, while the previous day in Malang, East Java, another man was also held for the same reason. Neither man was found to be affiliated to any communist group, which have long been banned in the country.

Rights activists have lambasted the raids, accusing security officials of trying to undermine the ongoing national dialogue between the government, victims and families of victims of the 1965 tragedy.

A symposium was held last month to convene the parties to discuss ways to achieve truth and reconciliation. After the symposium Coordinating Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who expressed skepticism about the death toll in the tragedy, vowed to look for mass graves of the victims.

Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy chairman Hendardi criticized President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for supporting the crackdown by emphasizing that the ban on communism was still in force and all activities related to the ideology remained prohibited.

“[President Jokowi] should understand that the recent propaganda recycling the fear of communism in the mind of the public is aimed at stoking fear amid calls from rights activists for him to comply with his campaign pledge to resolve gross human rights violations during the 1965 period,” Hendardi said.

“This paranoia is an overreaction. It has come at the same time as the government finished holding the symposium and after the symposium a number of events on campus, including one in Yogyakarta, to discuss the facts behind the 1965 tragedy were dispersed,” said Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) researcher Andi Muttaqien.

Over the past year, the government has broken up or banned at least 15 cultural events and discussions featuring communism and other leftist thinking.

On May 6, police in Yogyakarta dispersed a screening of documentary film Pulau Buru Tanah Air Beta (Buru Island my Homeland) during the celebration of International Press Day at the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) office. Buru Island was where many suspected PKI sympathizers were imprisoned without trial.

National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti warned people to take care when discussing communism or using its symbols since it was still forbidden to do so.

He said that academic discussions were permitted but organizers should notify the police beforehand.

“Those who are arrested [for wearing communist symbols] are interrogated. If they are not found to be spreading the ideology, they are released,” he said.

Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said that the use of PKI imagery in public and on social media was indeed a sign of the return of communism to Indonesia.

“The law in Indonesia stipulates criminal punishment for those who spread [communism],” he said.
___________________________________

To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News.

For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com

Popular

Indonesia not affected by Southeast Asia-wide heat wave: BMKG

Residents fear for safety as Mount Ruang volcano erupts

In defense of Indonesian democracy