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ctivists and religious leaders demanded on Sunday that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo end the division among his aides over the events surrounding the 1965 communist purge, which they said could jeopardize the efforts to resolve past human rights violations.

Rights activist Usman Hamid said that Jokowi had to solidify the government regarding the 1965 issue before continuing to resolve other cases that had been investigated by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

“Jokowi must show that he is a true leader of the nation by either reprimanding or removing any of his ministers who do not support the government’s pledge to address past human rights violations,” Usman said during a discussion on the 1965 tragedy.

He was participating in the discussion along with Catholic priest and rights advocate Benny Susetyo, secretary of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) Gomar Gultom, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) executive Imam Aziz, and Commission for Missing Persons and Victim of Violence (Kontras) activist Yati Andriyani.

In the aftermath of a government-sponsored symposium that gathered victims, families of victims and survivors of the 1965 purge in April, a number of Jokowi’s aides within the Cabinet, including Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said that resolving the long-neglected rights case was the government’s top priority.

But Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has said he opposed the symposium, saying that there was no need to remember “old and forgotten parts of Indonesia history”.

The retired army general also defended recent stern action taken by police and military personnel against the use or display of communist symbolism, the alleged rise of which he said was an “apparent sign of a resurgent communist movement in the country”.

Earlier this month police and troops cracked down on cultural events and public screenings related to 1965 and arrested people for allegedly wearing T-shirts bearing the symbol of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) or for possessing books about the party.

Benny said that every minister had to toe Jokowi’s line, including on the resolution of past human rights issues. “Efforts to resolve human rights cases, either through reconciliation or judicial hearings, are aimed at implementing the value of humanity value enshrined in Pancasila. These efforts are unlikely to bear fruit if the President fails to ensure his ministers work in line with his plans,” he said.

Apart from the 1965 massacre, Jokowi has also pledged to address six other unresolved gross human rights violations recorded by Komnas HAM, including the 1989 Talangsari massacre, the disappearance of pro-democracy activists in 1998, the Trisakti University shootings, Semanggi I and Semanggi II students shootings, the 1998 May riots and a series of mysterious killings in the 1980s.

Yati said that the government needed different approaches to dealing with those cases. “However, it will be a long and arduous road for the government if it fails to resolve the 1965 case,” she said. (mos)