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Comments on other issues: House opposes apology for 1965 purge
The face of tolerance: Demonstrators march through Surabaya, East Java, opposing communism and the banned Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), which they say contravenes the ideology of Pancasila
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The face of tolerance: Demonstrators march through Surabaya, East Java, opposing communism and the banned Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), which they say contravenes the ideology of Pancasila.(Antara/Zabur Karuru) (PKI), which they say contravenes the ideology of Pancasila.(Antara/Zabur Karuru)
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span class="inline inline-center">The face of tolerance: Demonstrators march through Surabaya, East Java, opposing communism and the banned Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), which they say contravenes the ideology of Pancasila.(Antara/Zabur Karuru)
Aug. 22, 2015, p2
The House of Representatives has criticized the government's plan to issue an apology to families and victims of the 1965 communist purge.
House deputy speaker Fadli Zon advised President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo against offering a formal apology, arguing that it would cause unrest among the public.
'We welcome the idea of reconciliation; it depends on how that will be achieved. We also want to settle [rights violation cases in the country], but apologizing to the PKI [the Indonesian Communist Party] is not the way to do it. Instead of resolving the issue, that would just create new ones,' Fadli told reporters.
Your comments:
Fadli Zon is saying that people should not apologize for the wrongs they committed. By apologizing, the government would admit to having violated human rights. That idea seems to upset Fadli. His criticism is illogical and laughable.
AWVL
Revealing the truth of 1965 is not just important for the victims and their families, it is important for the whole nation.
If we are to teach integrity and responsibility to future generations, we should start with ourselves. Indonesia must now have the courage to look into the mirror and accept responsibility for crimes committed.
Sudarshana Chakra
It is irrelevant whether they were members of the PKI or any other party; these humans were murdered, brutally beaten or otherwise persecuted.
The House, in typical fashion, isn't looking at the human component, only the political.
We scarcely needed this further proof that House members don't care about the people, they care only about themselves. The apology is to the people who were abused, not the party.
Willo
I fail to see any logic or wisdom in the House of Representatives' criticism of the government's plan to issue an apology to the families and victims of the 1965 communist purge.
Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon, and those who harbor the same views as he does, should be far more sensible and mature in their thinking and not allow themselves to be carried away by unmerited, shallow opinions unworthy of those occupying such a high position in the government.
By stating that the families and the victims of the 1965 communist purge are not deserving of a sincere apology, members of the House assume all of them to be communists, which is a very indiscriminate, injudicious and offensive statement from those who are supposed to be wiser than the man or woman in the street.
A genuine and sincere apology from the government to all those who suffered immensely in the 1965 purge would not cause unrest among the public.
If Fadli Zon thinks it would, he is sadly mistaken and shows not only his lack of wisdom and understanding of us, the Indonesian people, but also his fears. Contrary to what Fadli Zon and his supporters believe, a sincere apology from the government, added to the genuine desire to create a new future together as fellow Indonesians, without any remains of rancor, would contribute a great deal to the curing of suppurating old wounds that have never properly healed since 1965.
Firepooch
