BANNEDTHOUGHT
Suppression of News in Indonesia and Political
Statements Prevented from Reaching the People
In Indonesia, as in so many other countries, much of the real news about what is happening to the working class and the poor, is suppressed, or at the very least is not widely reported. And for reasons like this the claims that Indonesia enjoys a true “democracy” and “a free press” are gross exaggerations of the real situation. We at bannedthought.org will try to help break down this government and media news embargo.
We are also posting a number of suppressed documents of the Indonesian revolutionary movement here. Eventually we hope to have many more. A number of the documents in English about the Communist Party of Indonesia, especially from the revisionist period when the party was led by D. N. Aidit, can also be found at: https://www.marxists.org/history/indonesia/
One of the greatest massacres of communists and of ordinary people in history took place at the hands of the Indonesian military in 1965. This horrendous massacre, which probably killed at least half a million people—and possibly several million—was directed by the American CIA (with the assistance of the British intelligence agency, MI6). In the future we will try to put a special focus on exposing those who were guilty of this horrible crime. A good place to begin in learning about this massacre and the serious errors made by the PKI which facilitated it, is the article “The Destruction of the Indonesian Communist Party in 1965 and the Road Not Taken”, by the MLMRSG which is available below in the Foreign Commentary section.
If you know of other suppressed documents and news reports that should be posted here, contact us at: freespeech@bannedthought.org
Suppression of News and Ideas in Indonesia
- “Sing a Protest Song or Insult a Company? In Indonesia, Go to Jail”, by Richard C. Paddock, New York Times, March 16, 2019, 5 pages. PDF format [269 KB]
- “Freedom of Expression Under Fire in Indonesia”, by Vannessa Hearman, The Diplomat, Oct. 30, 2015, 2 pages. Even mentioning the massacre of 1965 is still forbidden. PDF format [122 KB]; MS Word format [32 KB]
- “Freedom of Expression”, by Jennifer Robinson, Inside Indonesia, #94, Oct.-Dec. 2008, 3 pages. Focuses on how Indonesian authorities suppress any talk or even symbols suggesting independence for West Papua. MS Word format [210 KB]
Communist Party of Indonesia
- 1971:
- “Build the PKI Along the Marxist-Leninist Line to Lead the People’s Democratic Revolution in Indonesia: Five Important Documents of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI”, published (in China?) by the Delegation of the CC PKI, September 1971, 304 pages. PDF format [10,330 KB] Includes:
- “Hold Aloft the Reputation and Honour of the Communist!”, message of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI, May 23, 1966.
- “Take the Road of Revolution to Realize the Tasks which Should have been Accomplished by the 1945 August Revolution”, statement of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI, Aug. 17, 1966.
- “Build the PKI Along the Marxist-Leninist Line to Lead the People’s Democratic Revolution in Indonesia”, self-criticism of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI, Spetember 1968.
- “Hold Aloft the Banner of of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Tse-tung Thought: March Forward Along the Road of Revolution!”, message of the Political Bureau of the CC PKI, May 23, 1967.
- “The Programme of the Communist Party of Indonesia for People’s Democracy in Indonesia”, November 1967.
- 1966:
- “People of Indonesia, Unite and Fight to Overthrow the Fascist Regime”, (Peking: FLP, 1968), 68 pages. The PKI self-criticism included in this pamphlet was co-authored by Sudisman, who led the Political Bureau after the murder of the Aidit by the Army during the 1965 massacres. Apparently the full document (which is not included in the pamphlet from China) specifically blames Aidit for the revisionist road after 1951 and the resulting catastrophe. But the ideological thrust of the self-criticism is against the so-called Bandung theses, a revisionist line that led to uncritical support of Sukarno among other things. Sudisman himself was arrested by the fascist regime in December 1966, put through a show-trial in 1967-68, and then executed. This PKI self-criticism was publicized internationally, especially by another Political Bureau member, Jusuf Adjitorop, who was based in Beijing after 1965. (He was in China when the 1965 massacre occurred.) Adjitorop may have co-authored the self-criticism. Searchable PDF format [3,159 KB]; HTML format [107 KB] Includes these 3 documents:
- Editorial of Hongqi [Red Flag], No. 11, 1967.
- “Statement by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Indonesian Communist Party (Excerpts)”, Aug. 17, 1966.
- “Self-Criticism by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Indonesian Communist Party (Excerpts)”, September 1966.
- 1963:
- “Set Afire the Banteng Spirit! Ever Forward, No Retreat!”, by D. N. Aidit. This is the Political Report to the Second Plenum of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of Indonesia, enlarged with the Members of the Central Auditing Commission and the Central Control Commission, held in Djakarta, December 23-26, 1963. (Peking: FLP, 1964), 156 pages. Searchable PDF format [8,538 KB]
- 1958:
- “Documents of the Seventh Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Indonesia”, Jakarta, Nov. 19-21, 1958, 20 pages. Includes the Political Report by D. N. Aidit, General Secretary of the PKI. PDF format [1,293 KB]
Other Reports and Documents
- [To be added when available.]
Foreign Commentary on Indonesia
- “The Destruction of the Indonesian Communist Party in 1965 and the Road Not Taken”, by the MLM Revolutionary Study Group in the U.S. (July 2007) [slightly revised in 2013], 33 pages. PDF format [190 KB]; MS Word format [194 KB]
— NOTICE —Due to the repressive legislation and judicial decisions in the United States, we at bannedthought.org want to make it completely clear that we do not have any connection whatsoever with the Communist Party of Indonesia, or with any other party in Indonesia or any other country for that matter. We do not aid, promote, assist, support, coordinate with, or provide any sort of services or advice to the PKI or to any other party. However, we do support the right of free speech, and the right of the people in both Indonesia and internationally to read the views and publications of this and all other parties and organizations. And for this reason alone we are making copies of many of their documents available on this site. |