It is a major event in modern history, and yet, global memory has
practically erased it, even in its own country. Sixty years ago, themassacre of communists from the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) began
in Indonesia, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. These are crimes whose
perpetrators will never be punished and who still live peacefully within
Indonesian society today. ---- Let's begin by setting the scene:
Indonesia is a peninsular country made up of 17,000 islands, 922 of
which are inhabited. The fourth most populous country in the world, it
currently has 285 million inhabitants and already had 93 million at the
time of the events discussed in this article. More than half of its
population is concentrated on Java, the largest island in the
archipelago. With 87% of its population being Muslim, it is the largest
Muslim-majority country in the world. Its location, at the crossroads of
the Indian and Pacific Oceans and between Asia and Oceania, gives it
great geopolitical importance. This made it a target for colonial
invasions, especially since the country is a major producer of spices.
The Portuguese settled there at the beginning of the 16th century ,
then were driven out in 1605 by the Dutch, who gradually made it one of
their main colonies - a colonial history still widely visible in the
Netherlands as well as in Indonesia.
Although the 19th century was spent under this colonial domination, a
national movement emerged in the 20th century and led to the country's
independence and the proclamation of the Republic of Indonesia in 1945.
The country is extremely culturally diverse: more than 600 ethnic groups
and 700 regional languages, five religions recognized by the State...
This contributed to the emergence of numerous separatist movements in
the 20 years following decolonization, leading to strong political
instability.
Nationalism, religion and communism
The first parliamentary elections were held in 1955, but the resulting
Assembly was dissolved in 1957 by President Sukarno, who had been
elected at the time of independence in 1945. In the name of political
stability, he implemented " guided democracy ," a euphemism for an
authoritarian and centralized form of government: the members of the
Assembly were directly appointed by the " President for Life ." In an
attempt to pacify the country, he proposed the concept of Nasakom, for "
Nasionalism, Agama, Komunism " (nationalism, religion, communism), as
the state doctrine. He sought to unify the three main political forces
in the country: the military and nationalist parties notably the
Indonesian National Party (PNI) the conservative Muslim organizations
primarily represented by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the Indonesian
Communist Party (Partai Komunis Indonesia).
Soekarno (1901-1970) was the first president of the Republic of
Indonesia following decolonization.
Leiden University
Founded in 1914, initially as the ISDV, while Indonesia was still under
Dutch occupation, the PKI spearheaded several insurrectionary movements
against colonial rule. After violent tensions with conservatives
following decolonization, the party grew dramatically in the 1950s, with
support from Mao Zedong's China. From 7,000 members in 1952, it swelled
to 150,000 by 1954 and controlled the country's largest trade union,
SOBSI. In the 1955 elections, it garnered 16.4% of the vote, making it
the fourth largest political force in the country. Its growth did not
stop: the party had 1.5 million members in 1958, a figure that would
reach 3.5 million in 1965, making it the third largest communist party
in the world, after those of China and the Soviet Union. It included a
women's organization, the Gerwani[1], which had more than 650,000
members in 1957.
This growth was accompanied by increasingly strong activism. Through its
peasant wing, the BTI, they occupied farmland owned by wealthy
landowners, most of whom were voters or activists of the PNI or the NU.
These two forces began to fuel a growing anti-communism and to ally
themselves against the actions of the PKI. The latter benefited from the
protection of President Sukarno, who saw them as an opposition force
capable of maintaining a balance against the powerful Indonesian army
and the immense religious influence of the NU. The PKI had fully
accepted the new regime of " managed democracy " and had adopted a
policy of " united national front " in 1959, prioritizing national
interests over class interests. From 1963 onward, the rapprochement
between the President and the PKI intensified, raising tensions between
the opposing sides and attracting the watchful eye of the United States.
In the midst of the Cold War, they saw a great danger of a major Asian
country falling into communism, which could trigger a fall of all of
Southeast Asia according to the " domino theory "[2]. It is in this
context that a dramatic shift will take place.
A coup d'état as a pretext
On the night of September 30 to October 1, 1965 , officers of the
presidential guard seized several key locations in the capital, Jakarta.
Six generals from the Indonesian Army's high command were abducted by
the soldiers, taken to Halim Air Base, and executed. On the morning of
October 1 , the group, which presented itself as " progressive
officers ," announced the formation of a " Revolutionary Council "
and claimed to have acted in preemption of a potential conservative
coup. But contrary to its expectations, it did not receive the support
of President Sukarno.
The PKI's precise role in this attempted coup is unclear: while some of
its leaders were involved, the initiative does not appear to have come
from the party as a whole, which maintained an ambiguous position on the
events, essentially adhering to its support for the president. Today,
all indications suggest that it was the work of a minority of military
officers sympathetic to the PKI's ideology, who sought its support after
the fact.
In the hours following the coup, General Suharto seized control of the
army and launched an offensive that recaptured the capital and Halim Air
Base within 24 hours. He immediately established himself as a public
figure and challenged the president's authority, accusing him of
inaction against the PKI, which he held responsible for the coup.
Whether or not it originated directly from the PKI, the attempted coup
served as a pretext for the bloody purge of communists.
General Suharto (1921-2008) was the principal leader of the
anti-communist massacres.
Evers, Joost/Anefo
The right wing seized upon the events and launched a violent
anti-communist propaganda campaign. Jakarta was plastered with posters
calling to " crush the traitors of the PKI " and the " whores of
Gerwani . " Accused of being " traitors to the homeland " by
nationalists, and " godless " and criminals by religious
conservatives, a slogan quickly spread: " Sikat! " " Eliminate them ! "
A political genocide
On October 8th, the PKI headquarters in Jakarta was stormed by
militants. The massacres began. The modus operandi was similar almost
everywhere: civilian militias formed, composed, depending on the region,
of conservative activists, Muslim, Catholic, or Hindu religious
fundamentalists, but also sometimes of criminals recruited for the
occasion, or, more often, of student groups. While the army occasionally
participated in the violence, for the most part it simply protected the
militias that carried out the massacres. Everywhere, communist activists
were hunted down , often shot or lynched immediately , sometimes after
arrest. Some were sentenced to death . Torture was commonplace in
detention. Rape was also regularly used against women. In some regions,
bodies were displayed in the streets to contribute to the climate of
terror. The homes of victims and their families were confiscated,
sometimes burned.
An example of the virulent anti-communist propaganda that fueled the
massacres.
Davidel
We now know that while the United States did not actively participate in
the massacres, it fanned the flames, notably by disseminating
disinformation campaigns aimed at inciting clashes between the army and
the PKI. At a time when the Vietnam War was escalating, the American
government was only too happy to see the " Indonesian problem "
"resolved " without foreign military intervention, simply by " letting
things take their course ."
The massacres lasted almost two years, until the autumn of 1967. The
death toll remains very difficult to determine even today, but it is
estimated at at least 500,000, with some estimates reaching as high as 3
million. The figure of one million deaths is generally accepted. To this
must be added nearly 700,000 prisoners, incarcerated for periods of up
to 30 years, in conditions where violence continues, as anti-communism
remains deeply entrenched in Indonesian society.
" New Order "
The main perpetrator of these massacres, General Suharto, seized the
opportunity to take power. President Sukarno faced increasing
opposition, notably accused of being too lenient with the PKI. In the
spring of 1966, he signed documents granting Suharto full powers with
the mission of " restoring order ." The PKI was officially banned, and
Suharto officially succeeded Sukarno in March 1967. He quickly
established a new, even more authoritarian political system under the
name " New Order ." He remained in power until 1998.
During the 30 years of rule following the genocide, only the regime's
official version was disseminated, with a significantly downplayed death
toll: the narrative of " the betrayal of the September 30th Movement
and the PKI ," recounted in a propaganda film of the same name released
in 1984 and broadcast every year on September 30th until 1998. Even
after Suharto's fall, the subject remained taboo, and all initiatives
for remembrance or reparations failed. In 2016, the Indonesian Minister
of Defense declared that the victims " deserved to die . "
The Act of Killing , directed in 2012 by Joshua Oppenheimer
The film retraces in a raw and brutal way how the perpetrators of the
1965 massacres continue to live their lives peacefully, between denial
and glorification of their actions.
This brutal reality of a society built on the justification and
minimization of genocide is notably depicted in Joshua Oppenheimer's
2012 film, * The Act of Killing *, which shows perpetrators of genocide
proudly recounting their crimes, living freely and with impunity in the
same society as the families of their victims. It would be naive to
think that truth and justice always prevail: even after such crimes,
their recognition and remembrance remain a struggle.
N. Bartosek (UCL Alsace)
CHRONOLOGY
August 17, 1945: Proclamation of the independence of Indonesia by
Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta, who became president and vice-president
respectively.
December 27, 1949: Creation of the Republic of the United States of
Indonesia. The Netherlands recognizes its independence.
In 1955, the first parliamentary elections were held, establishing an
Assembly. The PKI garnered 16.4% of the vote, becoming the 4th largest
political force in the country.
In 1957, Sukarno dissolved the Assembly and established " managed
democracy ", becoming " president for life ".
In 1958, the PKI exceeded one million members.
On the night of September 30, 1965 , the " September 30 Movement "
assassinated six generals from the army. It presented itself as being
close to the PKI.
On October 1 , 1965, under the control of General Suharto, the army
regained control of the capital. Violent anti-communist campaigns began.
On October 8, 1965, the PKI headquarters in Jakarta was attacked, and
the massacres began. Estimates range from 500,000 to 3 million deaths.
In March 1966, Suekarno was forced to transfer power to Sueharto, who
became acting president.
On March 12, 1967, Suharto became president of the Republic of
Indonesia. He established the "New Order ," an authoritarian political
system.
On March 21, 1998, following major riots in Jakarta, amid a severe
economic crisis, Suharto resigned.
In 2004, an Indonesian law mandated the formation of a " Truth and
Reconciliation Commission " regarding the massacres. The project was
ultimately abandoned in 2006.
To validate
[1]Gerakan Wanita Indonesia: " Indonesian Women's Movement "
[2]The domino theory is an American geopolitical theory from the Cold
War, according to which the shift of one country towards communism would
lead to similar changes in neighboring countries. This theory was used
on several occasions to justify American interventionism, notably in
Vietnam from 1965 onwards.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?1965-Le-genocide-oublie-des-communistes-en-Indonesie
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