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Strangely, the ghost of communism was barely heard in September
Rather than communism, the real threats facing the nation today are the rampant and systematic corruption and abuses of power by the executive, legislative and judiciary branches.
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Must-see: A still from the 1984 movie 'Pengkhianatan G30S PKI.' (YouTube/Courtesy of Hendra Ahya on YouTube)
F
irst of all, let us first pray for the hundreds of soccer fans who were killed and injured during the police disbursement of the crowd following a match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java, on Oct. 1. On that day, Indonesia celebrated its victory in the fight against communists, who were blamed for the aborted coup on Sept. 30, 1965.
After the communist purge more than 50 years ago, communism has consistently haunted Indonesia so much that it is dubbed a latent danger.
However, the subsidized fuel price-hikes last month seemed to effectively shift the attention of ultra-nationalist groups and individuals from their September ritual of reminding the government and the nation of the real and present danger of communism.
For the first time after so many years, September was free from noisy warnings and preaches about communism. Previously, many organizations and individuals, including retired military generals, far-right organizations and hardline Muslim groups, had engaged in public activities to spread the fear of communism, unfortunately without convincing evidence to back up their arguments.
They even insisted that communists roam free in society, even though the country has outlawed the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and banned the spread of communism, Marxism and Leninism since 1966. The government also forbids any display of the flag and symbols of communism. Interestingly, groups carried those outlawed flags during their rallies, only to burn them in public.
It is safe to say that communism is dead here, but certain groups and individuals have kept the issue alive only to justify its presence.
Rather than communism, the real threats facing the nation today are the rampant and systematic corruption and abuses of power by the executive, legislative and judiciary branches. They do not feel shameful or guilty to show off the results of their abuse of power, which takes shape in luxury goods and extravagant lifestyles.
