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Agus Widjojo:Reconciliation of 1965 tragedy for national interest

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27 April 2016 06:16 WIB

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The two-day 'National Symposium on Dissecting the 1965 Tragedy: A Historical Approach' last week got nationwide and international attention.


It was, after all, the first time that the government hosted a forum to openly discuss and debate the mysterious and dark events of 1965.


A number of notable figures were involved in the symposium's planning. One of them was Agus Widjojo, who was the symposium's committee chairman. Agus, 69, a retired Army officer, has undeniable links to the tragedy: His father, the late Sutoyo Siswomiharjo, who was given the posthumous rank of major-general, was one of the victims on that fateful September 30, 1965 night half a century ago.


Along with other families of victims from diverse backgrounds, Agus formed and joined the Solidarity Forum of the Nation's Children (Forum Solidaritas Anak Bangsa) in 2003. All its members share the same concern: the need to expose the dark history of 1965 for the sake of future generations. "We often held internal discussions, but this is the first time that it's directly supported by the government," he said. 


Agus, who is currently the governor of the National Defense Institute (Lemhanas), has long held a thought on how to end the conflict resulting from the 1965 tragedy. On Thursday last week, Agus met with Tempo reporters Tito Sianipar, Anton Aprianto and Cheta Nilawaty for a special interview. Apart from speaking about the symposium, Agus shared his views on ongoing military reforms, including their penchant to use force in a civilian operation, like evicting squatters in Jakarta. 



How was this symposium conceived?It actually started from my doubts. After 50 years, we still cannot reach a national consensus on the 1965 tragedy. From the political perspective, it is indeed diametrical, with many challenges. I searched for an approach that was most objective and factual, but which also benefitted us all. That's why in the end I came up with the title 'Dissecting the 1965 Tragedy: A Historical Perspective'. By coincidence, I met the coordinating minister for politics, law and security, Luhut Pandjaitan, and he had the same view. Then he advised me on how to get the symposium going.



When did the process actually begin? 


Last year, the Children of the Nation Forum held a seminar to commemorate the September 30 events. But we felt that such a topic deserved a better platform than our forum. I wanted this to be a lesson for the public to learn about nationhood. That's why I developed it so (the issues) can be addressed to elements outside of our forum. The time it took to prepare since I spoke to Pak Luhut was no more than a month. Pak Luhut himself gave me a deadline of no later than May 2.



This symposium is the first ever in our history to be organized by the government. Did President Joko Widodo have a hand in it? 


We have a presidential system. Everything that happens, although not always, is influenced by the President's view on a particular issue. And President Jokowi laid the foundations for an open analysis of this issue and similarly on nearly all other national issues. It was a strong push factor, which probably was not available with previous presidents. It's understandable, given the risks to be faced. Besides, President Jokowi has no direct link to this particular incident, so he saw this as a past burden that needed to be resolved.



Who were in the committee?


We opened it up as wide as possible for (people) to be involved in the committee. We invited people from the left, who have strong views and who went through that (period). In fact, the Children of the Nation Forum also has members from the left.



As governor of Lemhanas, do you see this exposure of the 1965 tragedy as important for the future of the nation?


From the national resilience point of view, it's needed. I notice how people have been placed in boxes. While other nations forge ahead, we still mistrust each other. There must be an end to all this, one that is acceptable to all.



This symposium is being seen as the first step towards national reconciliation.



That would be the ideal, according to the reconciliation theory, which contains four elements. First, it's the disclosure of the truth and this should be above everything. It seems there are people who have experienced violence, who've been victims, or others who are accused of being the perpetrator, and members of the military who can go into politics without intervention.


Secondly, it's about justice. And it's not just in court. There's traditional justice and there's restorative justice. What are the losses experienced by victims? He or she is unable to go to school because of government policies and so on. Thirdly, a policy to bring back human dignity. Fourthly, if there is a weakness in the institutional authority, the institutions must be reformed.


Those four points are aimed at restoring the dignity of the Indonesian people. Everyone begins at the same level and there's no discrimination. The problem is that not everyone understands the concept of reconciliation. Then there are the hardliners, who go straight to what they want.



Some people suspect that the final results will lead to the conclusion that the 1965 tragedy is the result of horizontal conflict. What do you think? 



Essentially, sympathy towards the victims is huge. But if there's to be reconciliation, there should be no taking sides. This is only for those who think only in terms of citizenship and nationhood. But Pak Nur Kholis from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) was just being honest when he said that no matter what, his organization must see it from the perspective of the victims. Meanwhile, there are many victims, I would say. The victim's interest will flow after the reconciliation process has begun. (*)



Read the full interview in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine



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