President Gus Dur Apologizes For The 1965-1966 PKI Massacre

JAKARTA - The narrative of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as the main mastermind of the September 30 Movement (G30S) has generated anger. Shouts of disbanding the PKI appeared everywhere. From students to the military. Suharto and the New Order (Orba) answered that wish.

Instead of simply dissolving the PKI, the New Order actually perpetuated the PKI's "cleansing" efforts. Casualties fell. It is also considered a gross violation of human rights. After that, no one wanted to apologize for the incident, except for Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur).

The G30S atrocities cannot be simply forgotten in the course of the history of the Indonesian people. The kidnapping and murder of a number of generals from the Indonesian Army (AD) is behind it. Moreover, the G30S was predicted to have the goal of overthrowing the Soekarno government.

The people took to the streets asking Bung Karno to take firm action against the PKI. Volumes of demonstrations were held in various places. In fact, students perpetuate the Tritura action (three demands of the people). These include disbanding the PKI, reshuffling the cabinet, and lowering prices.

The action was carried out when Bung Karno did not want to take firm action against the PKI. Bung Karno's condition was even more desperate. Therefore, Bung Karno issued a March Eleven Warrant (Supersemar).

Meeting of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) Commissariat of Batavia in 1925. (Wikimedia Commons)

He asked Lieutenant General Suharto to immediately sort out the existing situation. In fact, Supersemar's power made Suharto go far. Instead, he disbanded the PKI and hunted down the political elite who were Sukarno loyalists.

This action became even more so when Soeharto completely became the number one person in Indonesia to replace Sukarno. He perpetuated the effort to 'cleanse' the total PKI sympathizers in 1965-1966. It is said that the death toll reached millions of people.

“Efforts to disband and 'cleanse' the PKI carried out by Soeharto were of course inseparable from the intelligence figures who supported him. Through special operations, for example, a fundraising operation was carried out by utilizing mass support for the dissolution of the PKI."

"This fundraising operation was carried out in stages by utilizing the chronology from the issuance of Supersemar to the issuance of the decision of the Extraordinary Military Court to arrest PKI figures. The masses and the military who were pro-Suharto responded to these achievements," Sarah Nuraini Siregar explained in the book Intelijen dan Kekuasaan Soeharto (2022).

Gus Dur apologizes

The massacre continues to haunt all Indonesian people. In fact, the person in power made a special film to perpetuate the propaganda related to the crimes of G30S. The move was allegedly to cover up the brutality of the PKI's "cleansing" efforts by the New Order.

However, the fall of Orba made new facts fly by. All because the history and research related to the G30S was no longer covered up in the B.J. era. Habibie. The masterminds of the PKI were not only the PKI. After all, there were outside forces who were seen as supporting the agenda to overthrow Bung Karno. Even if the PKI was the mastermind, of course, it is not justified if other people – PKI sympathizers – who are innocent should be punished.

Gus Dur was also aware of it. he who replaced Habibie as Indonesia's number one appeared to apologize for the massacre of PKI sympathizers in 1965-1966 in March 2000. The apology was expressed directly to all the families of the victims who were considered part of the Communists.

For him, it is not certain that all those who are accused of being Communists are all guilty and should be sentenced to death. As a form of seriousness, Gus Dur also suggested that MPRS Decree No. XXV/1966 concerning the dissolution of the PKI and the prohibition on the spread of the teachings of Marxism, communism, and Leninism be immediately revoked.

Gus Dur and former President Suharto. (nu.or.id)

The statement of apology for Gus Dur also raised pros and cons. Those who are against consider Gus Dur's statement as a form of justification so that communism rises again. However, Gus Dur did not bother. This is because the agenda of apologizing for the communist massacre was carried out long ago.

"By apologizing, Gus Dur also dismantled the shackles of superstition during. almost a quarter of a century: that every PKI member, including every child, wife, husband, deserved to be killed or exiled. Gus Dur abandoned an attitude that did not want to ask again: is it fair what happened since 1965? Even if the PKI leadership were guilty of serious guilt in 1965, the punishments that were imposed on everyone, even their relatives, who were not directly affiliated with the party would still be very wrong."

“We remember ancient atrocities: a city was defeated and every citizen was massacred or enslaved. Gus Dur did not seem to want this tyranny. He, as president, allowed himself to be photographed sitting intimately near Iba, daughter of D.N. Aidit, who had been a passportless fugitive in Europe for most of his life. In that scene there is a lawsuit: is Iba guilty just because he is the son of the PKI chairman? Gus Dur's answer: no," said Goenawan Mohamad in the book Setelah Revolusi Tak Ada Lagi (2001).