Commission X Of The House Of Representatives Will Ask For Fadli Zon's Clarification About No Mass Rape Of The May 98 Tragedy

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission X DPR Lalu Hadrian, stated that his party would ask for clarification on the controversial statement of the Minister of Culture Fadli Zon who said there was no mass rape in the May 1998 tragedy.

Then assessed that Fadli Zon's statement had the potential to hurt the hearts of the victims and undermine the recovery efforts that had been fought for for for more than two decades.

"It's a little wrong to say there was no mass rape. The incident happened, don't cover up history," said Lalu Hadrian, Tuesday, June 17.

Then emphasized that the 1998 tragedy was a dark part of the history of the nation which had deep wounds, especially for women victims of sexual violence. According to him, the denial of the incident is a form of removing traces of Indonesian history.

"It is a real humanitarian tragedy. Do not erase the traces of real sexual violence and have been recognized by outsiders. Komnas Perempuan has also reported it," said Lalu.

Then mentioning denial of the fact of sexual violence in the 1998 incident, it is tantamount to degrading the dignity of the victims and hindering the recovery and reconciliation process that should continue to be given.

"covering it up is tantamount to degrading the dignity of the victims and not opening up space for the restoration of their good name," he said.

He also reminded that Indonesia's history should not be reduced to a single narrative belonging to power. He emphasized that history must be written honestly, inclusively, and participatoryly not to please the authorities.

"History is not just a narrative of the past, but the foundation of the nation's identity. So when there is an attempt to rewrite history, what we need to make sure is not who wrote it, but why and for whom the history was written for," explained Lalu.

Therefore, the head of the commission in charge of education and cultural affairs stated that the Indonesian House of Representatives will oversee the Ministry of Culture, which is currently writing a revision of Indonesian history.

Then state the writing of history concerning the collective interests of the nation, not just the domain of the ministry. He also highlighted the lack of public participation in the rewriting of Indonesian history which is being worked on by the Ministry of Culture.

"History does not belong to the ministry, but belongs to the people. The DPR represents the people and has the responsibility to ensure that this process does not become a collective memory engineering, but an objective reconstruction," said Lalu.

Lalu mengatakan Komisi X DPR akan memanggil Menteri Kebudayaan Fadli Zon dalam rapat kerja untuk meminta penjelasan mengenai pernyataan kontroversialnya tersebut.

"The statement of the Minister of Culture which stated that mass rape in the May 1998 riots was only a rumor, it was necessary to officially clarify. Commission X of the DPR RI will certainly ask for further explanation regarding his statement," said Lalu.

"Of course, the Fourth Session Period which will start on June 24 or next week, we will schedule a Working Meeting / RDP with all partners of Commission X, including the Ministry of Culture," he continued.