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Tense discussion about 1965 event at UGM
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Members of Pemuda Panca Marga group join the rally to protest against the defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and communism in Indonesia in Central Jakarta on June 3. There were about 10,000 people who joined the protest for the government to take a firm stance against alleged communism in Indonesia. (thejakartapost.com/Anton Hermansyah)
A
discussion titled “Indonesian Political Economy after Oct. 1 1965” in the Public Administration Master's Program at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta on Tuesday created a tense situation after a participant questioned the committee’s decision to invite a speaker considered to be a representative of the disbanded Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
Besides university students, several people in uniform, claiming to be from Red and White Element group (EMP), also attended the discussion.
They claimed to attend the discussion to “keep the history straight in case the discussion tried to distort it".
“Why is a representative of PKI here?” Burhanuddin asked referring to Badri, a member of 1965-1966 Murder Victims Research Foundation (YPKP).
Burhanuddin’s question was received negatively by the other participants who asked the moderator to direct the discussion back on track.
Tension rose when Muhammad Suhud from Paksi Katon, a member of EMP, insisted on asking why Badri was blaming 1965 communist cleansing on the state, while instead “the culprit was PKI itself".
“If the discussion misleads, we will disperse it,” Muhammad said. His friend followed his statement by yelling, “Allahu Akbar [God is Great]”.
Muhammad accused several schools in the university of spreading communism and separatism.
A historian from UGM, Budiawan, explained that the state would not apologize to PKI but rather to victims of communist cleansing.
Budiawan calmly tried to set the discussion back on course by explaining the changes in economic policies post-1965. (evi)
