Lemhanas Communist Polemic Value Or PKI Drains The Minds Of The Nation's Young Generation

JAKARTA - Governor of the National Defense Institute (Lemhannas) Lt. Gen. TNI (ret) Agus Widjojo assessed that the polemic about communism or the PKI that strengthens every year leading up to September 30 only drains and sacrifices the energy and minds of the nation's young generation.

"It is difficult not to admit that the epidemic of the rise of communism will be present every year leading up to September 30 or October 1. Because of the repeated occurrences at that fixed time, it is difficult to deny that the issue was deliberately raised for political purposes," Agus said in a webinar on 'Excavating Communism Fossils for Political Purposes? ' held by Political and Public Policy Studies (P3S), in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Tuesday, September 29.

Speakers attended by Amnesty Executive Director Usman Hamid, P3S Executive Director Jerry Massie, LKIP Executive Director Eduard Lemanto, CSIS Senior Researcher J Kristiadi, and moderator Frederik Bios.

Supposedly, he continued, the nation's young generation could give their energy for the effectiveness of national development efforts.

He realized that the history of PKI or communism cannot be eliminated because it deals with people's thoughts that are difficult to predict.

There is also individual experience about the PKI so that they write writings, book memoirs, or hold meetings with friends of the same fate in the past.

In addition, there were those who considered themselves anti-PKI and felt this was a revival of communism.

Agus reminded that the state constitution is very firm and clear about the prohibition of the PKI. But MPRS Number 25 of 1966 concerning the Disbandment of the Indonesian Communist Party and Law Number 27 of 1999 concerning Crimes against State Security are strong enough to castrate individuals or that communist ideology is manifested in everyday life.

Therefore, arguing about the PKI was futile and only took the nation on its way.

The polemic that drains time and energy from the nation's assets that is actually needed increases the effectiveness of national development efforts. It can be felt that if a post on social media is provocatively responded to defensively by the opposing party, then the process of retaliating is endless.

"And sometimes the arguments from the process of replying to posts are very illogical and only sometimes satire to the sender and out of substance," he explained.

On that occasion, Agus said that communism is the antithesis of capitalism.

Communism aims to overcome poverty, unemployment and displacement, as a system of past results. Therefore, Agus suggested to face the rise of communism it is better to eliminate all issues related to poverty and unemployment.

"So it can be said that in addition to our vigilance, which we direct to the ideology of communism, the most important and more important is how our development can provide to overcome poverty, unemployment, displacement, and more importantly among the people," he said.

He considered that the nation's history regarding the PKI could not be concluded as part of positioning which party was wrong and which was right. Agus also reminded that the answer does not need an academic process. Agus also considered that inheriting the polemic would only harm the younger generation.

"This kind of polemic does not contain an intellectual academic meaning, but rather has a political character to destroy opponents," he said.