Police Ban 1965 Talk is a Briliant Decision
The Jakarta Police banned on Saturday a discussion on the 1965 communist purge that was to be attended by scholars and activists, adding to the long list of similiar bans on communism-related events. But some of observers including me have been agreed with the Jakarta Police decision because it is a bribiliant decision. However, we must alert on the chance of communist awakening through the freedom of speech era in the current time.
This discussion set up by Forum 65 was initially scheduled to run for two days on Sept 16 and 17 at the Foundation Aid Institute (YLBHI) office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, to reconstruct narrative of the communist purge the preceded the fall of first Presisdent Soekarno.
According to the National Police’s official website polri.go.id a crowd permit is required when an event involves 300 to 500 people. Jakarta Police spokesman said the Police referred to Law No.9/1998 on freedom of expression in public when the police blocked the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) in Central Jakarta. “Any kind of discussion, meeting, seminar and other public gathering must be reported ti the police according to the regulation,” said Argo Yuwono further. He also dismissed statements that the police required a warrant to search the building, saying that the office was a public space and so no warrant was needed.
During the police blockade of the YLBHI on Saturday, dozens of people flocked to the area, demanding that the discussion be canceled. The protesters came from several mass organization, including the Anti-Communist Students and Youth Alliance and the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII). “We don’t want communism to flourish in Indonesia,” said the coordinator of the rally, Rahmat Himran.
A Briliant Decision
However, the communist threat through their supporters and symphatizers movement is a latent threat for the future of Indonesia. Many of their movement have always a political and economic purposes. Indeed, the communist ideology couldn’t implement in Indonesia forever because the communist ideology is a enemy of our national tenet, Pancasila.
Therefore, the Jakarta Police decision had been banned 1965 talk at LBH Jakarta building was a briliant decision. There are some of reason about it. First, the meeting of 1965 talk didn’t have a permit from the police. This is a violation on Law No 9/1998 on freedom of expression.
Second, Jokowi’s administration has been assisting the victims of 1965 tragedy with some compensation which was did by Witness and Victims Protection Body (LPSK).
Third, the discussion was not for academic purposes eventhough those events was attended by scholars and relatives of the victims of communist purge. Allegedly, the purpose of 1965 talk is a political pressure for Jokowi’s administration to make a political, law and an economic manuevers to support the victims. Forum’65 which was set up those meeting, it doesn’t a great organization which have a huge of fund being sponsored those events, so that we must be alert that those events was remote controlled by “the hidden agenda and hidden funder”.
Fourth, we must be anticipated if Forum 65, YLBHI and other NGO will be reported banned actions by the National Police to United Nations through Amnesty International or International People Tribunal or Human Rights Council, because the manuever of an internationalization of those events could have done by the supporters and symphatizers of the communist purge efforts.
*) Kurniadi, Senior strategic issue observer and the former of high rank civil servants official. Live in Bekasi, West Java.
