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Zum Original-Artikel, falls er nicht gerade wieder mal verschoben wurde.
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Kamis, 4 Maret 2004
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Justice and Reconciliation
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 By
Abdurrahman Wahid
Last week I was invited to
officially open an old folks’
home at Kramat V, Jakarta. The old
folks’ home belongs to a
foundation established by members of
the outlawed-Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI) who were jailed by
Soeharto’s regime. They use a
building which used to be the office
of Indonesian Women Movement
(Gerwani), a PKI’s wing
organization. The inauguration
ceremony in that bright morning was
held in a modest way which was also
witnessed by – among others
– SK Trimurti, a senior woman
prominent figure who took part in the
struggle for our independence from
Dutch settlers.
I myself fulfilled the invitation to
show my “solidarity” for
their bad “fate” that
have been under social and political
pressure for years even up till now.
Tens of thousands or perhaps hundreds
of thousands members of PKI and its
“under-bow organizations”
and even those who were alleged as
members of the outlawed-organizations
were jailed. Many of them died under
a wretched condition. Meanwhile those
who are still alive have no political
right including the right to give
their votes in general election.
Homes and their properties were
seized. They are branded a stigma as
betrayers of the nation. Under the
leadership of dr. Tjiptaning
Proletariati, they establish the
Community of New Order Victims
(PAKORBA) with its branches spreading
across the country. However, for
humanity as well that I have strong
“solidarity” for them
just like my solidarity for
ex-members of Kartosuwiryo’s
Darul Islam and Indonesian Muslims
Army (DI/TII).
Still I give the solidarity although
I am aware of the fact that once in
the past when PKI was powerful, it
took part in stigmatizes members of
DI/TII as the nation’s
betrayers. I ever mention in an
article that those DI/TII members
were recruited by Kartosuwiryo under
the order of the Great Commander
General Soedirman as effort to avoid
a condition of vacuum in West Java
which had been left vacant by the
Indonesian Military (TNI) who must
have left for Central Java, one of
few regions which were – under
the Renville Treaty –
recognized as part of Indonesian
territories. A reader, however,
argues that Kartosuwiryo had never
become military advisor to General
Soedirman. He even says that my
‘theory’ does not make
sense. In the other hand, he says
that Kartosuwiryo could be General
Soedirman’s political advisor,
it makes sense! He (the reader) does
not know that General
Soedirman’s political advisor
was my own father, K.H. A. Wahid
Hasyim. That is why my sympathy to
them is as big as my sympathy to
ex-cadres of PKI.
*****
Here I want to emphasize that the
past conflicts and violence can be
regarded over, whatever the reason
is. For us now is a ‘strong
nation’ already established
which therefore no need to frighten
any social and political groupings.
Justice is the matter we must enforce
as it is the main condition for
boosting the process of democracy. We
are great nation with 205 million
populations. We must be able to
uphold justice, and we should not
punish those who, in fact, are
innocent. The death-convicted Amrozi,
in his plea in Denpasar high court,
says that he only created bombs of
small capacity and that there were
other patties who made the higher
capacity of the bombs which
eventually exploded and killed more
than 200 people. Amrozi’s
argument should encourage us to
conduct further examination on his
confession. Yet, we don’t do
so, that is why we remain uninformed
up till now whether Amrozi’s
confession is true or not. We do not
know either who really planted the
bomb in Marriott Hotel, Jakarta.
There are so many mysteries covering
our past that it is just improper to
think of ourselves as standing in
truth while others are in wrong
position. It is necessary to have a
modesty to see what happen from
humanist perspective and not from
ideological one. Using ideological
perspective will certainly make us
easier to see ourselves as being in
truth while others untruth. This is
against the fundamental principle of
the nation’s plural life. The
nation’s diversity even shows
our amazing wealth; therefore we
should blame no body over the
country’s complex turmoil.
As an example, we can see how Abu
Bakar Ba’asyir who is
considered as the mastermind of
terrorism in our country. The court
eventually sentences him four years
in jail through which he is now going
in Cipinang Jail, Jakarta Timur. It
is true that the court has legally
decided him guilty but in reality and
historically it has been confirmed
yet due to the unreliable data on
which the punishment is based. It
takes place also due to our corrupt
courts which are full of “court
mafias”. Thus, we are not
assured by the court verdict. Just
like the case of Akbar Tanjung in
which the Supreme Court
verdict—which freed Akbar
Tanjung from all corruption
charge—will certainly continue
to face public distrust no matter
what the verdict says. No wonder that
now we are sluggish in upholding the
law supremacy. This is it the reason
why less foreign investment comes
into our country: the absence of
certainty in law (enforcement).
*****
There is another interesting case to
discuss here. Kyai Mahfud Sumalangu
from Kebumen, Central Java, is a
brave man who fought against Dutch
soldiers in South Banyumas. When
Hatta’s Cabinet Ministers
decided to conduct a “military
rationalization” under the
suggestion of the then Great General
AH. Nasution in which, among other
things, a battalion commander should
have a certificate of graduation from
“modern schools” excluded
Islamic boarding school (pesantren)
certificate. Kyai Mahfud did not have
certificate from any modern school
but pesantren certificate. Thus, the
kyai could not fill the position of
Purwokerto Army Battalion Commander.
Then, a young military officer A.
Yani was appointed to occupy the
position. In disappointment, Kyai
Mahfud established Muslim Force (AUI)
which was soon declared as betrayer
by A. Yani. The tragic story took
place in early 1950s, yet the bitter
memory remains to the current
days.
There are many things like this
taking place in our country recently.
Therefore, we must have the heart to
accept other groups whose
ideologically are different from ours
including those
ex-political-prisoners of ex-cadres
of PKI who mostly do not really
understand their own ideology, the
Communism. I, therefore, never
consider PKI cadres and DI/TII people
as enemies who should be watched out.
I even think that those ex-cadres of
PKI are now in search of God in their
life, for what they regard as
“wrongdoings” are in fact
similar to what they did in the past
when they were politically so
powerful. Now they rely on the belief
they have which are not against our
Constitution. If we take the way they
do, then we already take part in
upholding justice.
It is obvious that what we need is a
national reconciliation after the
court gives fair verdict to all
parties. If the “bad
tycoons” could get the status
of Release and Discharge, then why
can’t we do the same thing to
those ex-cadres of PKI and DI/TII?
Thus, the correct understanding of
reconciliation is, firstly, a must to
conduct thorough investigation by the
court when the search for clear
evidence is still possible. Here
where the justice in the archipelago
lands should be put down. A strong
will to scrutinize or investigate the
cases before our eyes which took
place in the last 15 years will only
drive us to stop thinking about what
happened 40 – 50 years ago. The
legal pardon can only be done after
the court verdict is made. It sounds
easy to do so, but difficult to
realize in reality.
Jakarta, February 11, 2004
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