Jakarta, (Antara) - The Setara Institute has urged President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to chalk out plans to settle gross human rights violations committed in the past, including those in the aftermath of the 1965 abortive communist coup.
"It is important for President Jokowi to take steps immediately in order to prevent social unrest due to the rising communist propaganda in recent days," Setara Institute Chairman Hendardi noted in a press statement here on Tuesday.
Hendardi said the propaganda, which alleged a rise in communism in recent days, would hamper the efforts to solve past gross human rights violations, advance democracy, and uphold human rights.
After all, the statements made by ministers and the personnel of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri) were less conducive in pacifying the situation but instead had a tendency to sow hatred and foster social alienation.
"The communist propaganda will not only affect the victims of the 1965 event, but the civil liberties of the citizens will also be at stake. People not related to the 1965 event could also suffer from the same stigma," he pointed out.
Hendardi claimed that the propaganda which alleged efforts to promote communism, was linked to several activities highlighting the truth behind the 1965 tragedy through films, discussions, or book publications. It could create rifts among the people.
Besides this, Hendardi suspected that the propaganda was launched to hinder the state's efforts to bring about reconciliation among the people and to justify the restriction and suppression of civil rights.
"Oddly, the TNI/Polri adversely confirm that communism will rise, although they have intelligence operatives who could provide accurate information on the restriction and suppression of the freedom of expression, opinion, and assembly over the past three months," he noted.
In the meantime, Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan confirmed that he would inspect the mass graves of alleged communist cadres and sympathizers killed in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt by the Indonesian Communist Party in 1965.
"We will set up a team to inspect the mass graves of the victims of the 1965 tragedy in Pati and Wonosobo (in Central Java) as shown by the Yayasan Penelitian Korban Pembunuhan 1965-1966 (YPKP 65)," Luhut stated here on Monday.
The YPKP 65, a foundation established to search the victims of the tragedy that followed the failed coup attempt, said it had found 122 mass graves, with some 13,999 bodies in Java and Sumatra.(*)
