Will Indonesian military’s move to redress 1965 anti-communist purge be ‘weaponised’ by Jokowi’s opponents?
- Fear of communism is ingrained in Indonesian society and has been used to stir up anti-Chinese sentiment years after a massacre following an attempted coup
- Now, descendants of alleged Communist Party (PKI) members can join the military, but activists say it’s not enough to ensure a ‘national reconciliation’
Indonesian military chief Andika Perkasa’s announcement last week that relatives of alleged members of the banned Communist Party (PKI) can join the military has been applauded by survivors, and descendants of victims, of the 1965-1966 anti-communist genocide.
It has also been viewed as a move by Andika, the first Christian army chief in Muslim-majority Indonesia, to improve the image of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI).
The TNI had previously been accused of stoking fears of a leftist revival – a tactic used by Islamist groups to discredit Indonesian President Joko Widodo – and faces accusations of ongoing rights violations, including in the restive region of Papua where there is an ongoing separatist conflict.
But activists and those seeking “national reconciliation” for victims of rights violations by state institutions say the army still needs to acknowledge its own role in the killings of those perceived as left-leaning, including ethnic Chinese and labourers, students, teachers, artists and farmers.
At least 500,000 people – some estimates place this figure at 3 million – were killed in the purge that the TNI encouraged, with the US Central Intelligence Agency’s backing. It came about after the PKI was accused of spearheading a coup against then-leader Sukarno in 1965.
The army neutralised the alleged ouster in what came to be known as the September 30 movement, paving the way for then-army chief General Suharto to seize power from Sukarno and rule as a dictator for about three decades. Indonesia began its transition to democracy in 1998.