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Millennials confront nation’s dark past in their own way
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In this file photo, a journalist films damage at the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) in Central Jakarta on Sept. 18, 2017 after a mob attack in the early hours of the day. Protesters demanded officials close the office, accusing it of hosting communism-related activities. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
I
t is a scene that most kids from the 1980s and 1990s are familiar with: members of the nowdefunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) hold a secret meeting in a dimly lit room, hatching their plan to take control of Java.
But in the short video produced by opini.id, the characters in the scene, which is taken from the movie Pengkhianatan G30S/ PKI (The Treachery of G30S/ PKI), are instead talking about the widely publicized wedding of popular singer Raisa Andriana.
The spoof video, titled Film G30S Versi Milenial (The Millennial Version of the G30S Film), is one of many internet memes made in response to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s call for a new film to teach millennials about the 1965 communist purge.
More than 50 years after the failed coup attempt that led to a bloody purge against, among others, alleged communist sympathizers, Indonesia has yet to come to terms with its dark past, with its people sharply divided over what actually happened at the time.
The millennials’ response to Jokowi’s call is in stark contrast to the fearmongering by politicians about the supposed revival of the PKI in Indonesia, which includes a call to hold a public screening of Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI, considered by most historians as a mere propaganda movie created by the Soeharto regime.
The film, which was aired on all TV stations every Sept. 30 under the New Order regime, has regained its popularity after Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo instructed his personnel to hold screenings of it to teach the younger generation about history.
WhatsApp messages informing people where they can watch the propaganda film have been circulating since Wednesday night.
