Religion, the fall of Sukarno and the elimination of communism in Indonesia: G30S PKI and the mass killings of 1965-66;

Tri Harmaji
History of Religions in Indonesia Part II: from c. 1900 to the Present
Religion, the fall of Sukarno and the elimination of communism in Indonesia: G30S PKI and the mass killings of 1965-66; Robert Cribb, the Indonesian killings of 1965-66, Robert W Hefner, the political economy of mountain java: an interpretative history.

If we have to relate between the mass killings of 1965-66 with religion, then what I can say about it is a religious tragedy. This event took place in many parts of Indonesian region, but java, especially central and east java is the worst place. These two areas are the biggest PKI stronghold, but also the place where Islam (NU) got many followers. Like was analyzed by Cribb there are some political agendas of military behind this inhuman action, that is this action was taken to eliminate their political rival in order/ as well as to strengthen their own power and authority. Although in somewhat different way, in the next new order government, military also took the same political action to silent their Islamic political rival. It is common in military government to use coercion and violence in their political agenda, and so, from the political point of view, in the event of 1965-66 mass killings.

But what more interesting to me now is the participation of some religious organization in this massacre. Like explained widely in the readings, especially youth body of NU, ANSOR, was very active in this event. Why do they actively and even eagerly involve in this killing? What is their motivation, and what is it mean to Indonesian subsequent history? From Hefner explanation about especially Tengger mid and highland killing done by lowland people give somewhat clear pictures about religious role in this killing. And what had happened here was also happened in other parts of Indonesia in very similar characteristic. From these events it is clear that the hostility between these two parties has going on far time before the event itself.

Besides regional problem, in the national scale Islam just realized its failure to build Islamic state in Indonesia after the general election in 1955. Nothing can they do about this result, but their idea about Islamic state was never given up in their mind. In this frame of thinking, one of their most serious enemies was PKI. It is because besides PKI irreligious atheist, they also frankly refused and against Islamic state in their campaigns. I think there is such idea of how to destroy PKI among Muslim leaders at that time, and coincide with it, when PKI coup was failed and military authority gave sanction to destroy PKI, and then their idea got a good opportunity to be implemented. It is why then when some Islamic body like ANSOR involved in this killing they called this action as jihad for the building of Islamic state, to replace the failed of guided democracy of Sukarno.

Islamic state is the most important political agenda of Islamic parties from the first days of Indonesian independence. They had been disappointed in the first stage when the Japanese authority just gave them a few seats in the BPUPKI that was very important step in directing Indonesia to be Islamic state. However, in their limited vote they have finally successful in bringing Islamic color in would be Indonesian constitution in what is called as Jakarta charter after long discussion and debate with nationalist party. But unfortunately, this achievement was also ruined by Christian objection a few hours before the proclamation. At this moment I can imagine how the disappointment they felt. Throwing away this disappointment, they begun to build confidence to win the first general election and take over the governance. They quite sure about this because the fact that more than 90% of Indonesian population was Muslim.

But, like I have mentioned before, Islamic parties failed to get the major vote and consequently failed to implement their Islamic state idea. I think this failure after long hope and struggle had caused some kind of frustration amongst the Islamic parties and people. This frustration then was exploded in the PKI killing of 1965-66, and along with it, the hope of Islamic state came to emerge again. In this event they eagerly helped the military to clear off PKI from the Indonesian land. This action then becomes one of the eleven factors that Avery T. Willis argues as why two millions people convert to Christianity after the tragedy.

The question now is, is the frustration has ended after it erupted in this massacre? The history tells that it is not. The new government, instead of building Islamic state the Islamic parties hope but on the contrary they even oppressed Islamic parties harder. The new order has disappointed them and sent them into more frustration. This frustration has become a negative collective memory along the history of new order era. And in my opinion what had happened in the 1998 riots (“the war” against Christianity in Ambon, Poso and other parts in java) is also another explosion of this accumulated frustration of Islamic people in dealing with the idea of Islamic state in Indonesia. After the communist was eliminated the turn has come for another obstacle that is Christianity.