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1965 symposium must not become fig leaf, activists warn
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The front cover of the March 2015 edition of Lentera magazine, entitled "Salatiga Kota Merah" (Salatiga, the Red City), recounting the killings of suspected supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) n Salatiga in 1965. (Courtesy of scientiarum.com/-)
H
uman rights activists have warned the government not to use next week's national symposium on the 1965-1966 mass killings as a way to force a one-sided reconciliation that upholds the impunity of the guilty.
"The symposium must not be used as a justification by the state to force a reconciliation," Ahmad Fanani Rosyidi, a researcher at the Setara Institute, said in a discussion in Jakarta on Friday.
"The coalition of civilians and victims believes that the reconciliation initiated by the government is misguided. Reconciliation can only be a result of the truth-revealing process. Hence, without revealing the truth, we will never understand who are the perpetrators and the victims who need to be rehabilitated," Ahmad noted.
The kidnapping and eventual murder of six Indonesian Army generals on Sept. 30, 1965, led to a purge by the military under the leadership of Soeharto of the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
The attack also led to mass killings, leaving at least 500,000 victims across the country; the perpetrators have enjoyed impunity since.
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has launched its own investigation into the case, but its recommendations have never been followed up by the Attorney General's Office (AGO).
On April 18-19, Komnas HAM and the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) are to hold a symposium in Jakarta on the 1965-1966 mass killings, involving academics, human rights activists, victims, politicians and the representatives of several government bodies.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has also questioned the essence of the symposium, responding to a previous statement by Agus Widjoyo, one of the committee heads, on Wednesday that the event would not aim to determine who was right and who was wrong.
"The symposium risks becoming a fig leaf for the government," Kontras impunity monitoring division head Feri Kusuma said on Friday.
"We don't oppose the symposium, but we want to ensure that the event promotes the rights of the victims."
The first day of the national symposium will be divided into four sessions: on a multicultural and pluralist society; on the political dynamics before 1965; on the impacts of the 1965-1966 mass killings on humanity and psychosocial culture; and on the pattern of power and social dynamics after the event. The discussion will involve sources including Limas Sutanto, Asvi Warman Adam, Todung Mulya Lubis and Salim Said.
On the second day, there will be another four sessions: on the construction of memories of the 1965 tragedy; on Indonesian society in the reformation era; on Indonesian society after 1998; on and the future of the society. The discussion will hear from sources including Marsudi Suhud, Ifdhal Kasim, Galuh Wandita, Yunianti Chuzaifah and Putu Oka Sukanta. (vps/bbn)
