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Reaching out to 1965 exiles
Indeed, only by acknowledging the suffering of the victims and giving them the justice that they deserve could true reconciliation, or closure, finally be achieved.
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At play: Agung Kurniawan and 65 visitors perform a show dedicated to survivors of the 1965 tragedy at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Nusantara (MACAN) in Jakarta on June 19, 2018. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)
T
he government’s plan to reach out to Indonesia’s political exiles now residing overseas is long overdue. It has been more than 50 years since they were forced to leave and stay outside of the country due to their links, or alleged links, to the putsch of the Sept. 30, 1965 movement, which was used as the pretext for a bloody communist purge.
The path to reconciliation is never easy. The political upheavals of 1965 and the following systematic anti-left pogrom carried out by Soeharto’s New Order have left deep scars on the victims as well as lingering mistrust among the population against those with the slightest association with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
Given the prevailing anticommunist sentiment in the country, there is no sign that we could have closure anytime soon over what happened in the years after 1965.
That being said, we should never stop working toward that goal, however difficult it is. The planned apology tour by members of the Joko “Jokowi” Widodo administration for past atrocities, including the 1965 massacre, is one step forward in that direction.
The tour will see the President or his ministers reaching out to human rights abuse victims and their families here and abroad. The President has reportedly assigned Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly to arrange a meeting with the 1965 exiles in a European city.
One of the purposes of reaching out to the political exiles, who were rendered stateless after the New Order revoked their passports, is to ensure them that they could regain their citizenship, and that they would have the same rights as other Indonesian citizens.
We do not know the exact number of Indonesian political exiles overseas. Many of them may have died, while those who live may have adopted foreign nationalities. As Indonesia does not recognize dual citizenship, many may have chosen to exile themselves.
Nevertheless, we applaud the government’s new initiative to reach out to the political exiles abroad in its renewed pledge to acknowledge and right the wrongs of the past. It is a gesture that could bring the conflicting sides closer to reconciliation.
Indeed, only by acknowledging the suffering of the victims and giving them the justice that they deserve could true reconciliation, or closure, finally be achieved.
President Jokowi has acknowledged and expressed regret on behalf of the state for a dozen past human rights violations and has pledged to provide restitution for victims and their families, including the 1965 political exiles.
Only time will tell if the President can keep his promises. Human rights activists have spoken about their suspicions that the President’s renewed pledge to uphold human rights is nothing but a routine political maneuver ahead of the elections.
But we have no intention of reading the President’s mind. We can only hope that he stays true to his words. We will only judge him by his actions.
