Jakarta – Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has stated that the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, has never been proven to have been involved in the massacre of people accused of being affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) following the 1965 September 30 Movement (G30S) affair.
Zon also questioned the evidence for the accusations of genocide in 1965-66 directed at Suharto.
"There's never been any evidence, right? It's never been proven. Who are the perpetrators of the genocide? There aren't any. I don't think there is", said Zon at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday November 5.
Fadli also challenged those who say this to prove it through historical facts. He claimed that to this day there are no historical facts that can prove the claim that Suharto was involved in the affair.
"Where's the evidence? We're talking about history and facts and data. Is there any? There isn't any right?", he said.
This issue has arisen at the same time as opposition to the proposal for Suharto to receive the title of national hero.
The proposal has created controversy among the community. One such group is the Civil Society Movement to Bring Suharto to Justice (GEMAS) who have stated that the proposal is a disappointing move.
"Today the Kemensos [Ministry of Social Affairs] through its minister also sent the proposed names that will be submitted to the Titles, Service and Honorary Medals (GTK) Board. Of course, this is a disappointing move but also not surprising", said Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya as a representative of the coalition when contacted on Tuesday October 21.
Regarding the evens post the G30S affair, the bloody incident began with the killing of six generals and an ABRI (the Indonesian Armed Forces as it was known then) officer who are now remembered in Indonesian history as the seven heroes of the revolution.
This was followed by the massacre of thousands of PKI members. A historian and Indonesianist, Benedict Anderson estimates that at least half a million people were massacred.
Many books have written about this, one of which is entitled The Indonesian Killings of 1965-1966: Studies from Java and Bali by Robert Cribb. Another is The Killing Season: A History of the Indonesian Massacres, 1965-66 by Geoffrey B Robinson.
Until now, there are many versions and history books that discuss this event. In essence however, the event was said to be aimed at overthrowing the government of Indonesia's founding president Sukarno and changing the state ideology from Pancasila to communist.
Some say the PKI was the mastermind behind this incident. At that time, the PKI was led by a leadership resulting from its 5th Congress chaired by Dipa Nusantara Aidit.
Then there is also another version which is of the opinion that the outbreak of the G30S incident was due to an internal conflict in the Army, the involvement of the CIA, Sukarno and Suharto. (mnf/isn)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Fadli Zon Sebut Tak Ada Bukti Soeharto Terlibat Genosida 1965".]
