Jokowi's regret over Indonesia's past atrocities 'meaningless', rights victims say

Indonesian President Joko Widodo's expression of regret over past "gross human rights violations" is being seen as a significant step forward, but reconciliation would be impossible if the perpetrators are not brought to court, human rights activists and survivors said.

The admission was announced on Wednesday after Widodo read the report provided by a non-judicial settlement team for gross human rights violations, which Widodo established as part of promises he made during his first presidential campaign in 2014.

"With a clear mind and a sincere heart, I, as the head of state of the Republic of Indonesia, acknowledge that gross violations of human rights did occur in various incidents, and I deeply regret that these incidents of gross human rights violations occurred," Widodo said.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

"I have deep sympathy and empathy for the victims and their families. Therefore, firstly, the government and I try to recover the rights of the victims in a fair and wise manner without negating a judicial settlement."

However, Widodo stopped short of apologising for the state's roles in past atrocities.

Before concluding his remarks, Widodo said he was committed to preventing gross human rights violations from occurring again in Indonesia.

He then listed 12 major tragedies and incidents, occurring between 1965 and 2003, that are classified as gross human rights violations. The abuses include the CIA-backed anti-Communist purge in 1965-66, the forced disappearance of student protesters, and the killings of protesters in 1998 and 1999, and rights abuses in Papua in 2001-2003.

After the speech, coordinating political, legal, and security affairs minister Mahfud MD said the government has been considering improving the rights of victims and families of victims, as well as providing social aids and scholarships.

The nonjudicial settlement team last month also submitted a list of recommendations to Widodo, which includes updating the database of victims, and structurally reforming the police and the military to prevent future human rights violations.

Widodo is not the only Indonesian president who has publicly regretted the country's flawed past. In 1999, late president Abdurrahman Wahid apologised to the victims of the 1965 massacre, as well as inviting all the exiles to return home.

Human rights groups said that Widodo's admission and expression of regret was a progressive step to reach reconciliation with victims and families of victims, but more needed to be done.

"It is a significant step forward. [Before] we've seen complete denial, a wall of silence and an unwillingness to acknowledge they took place," said Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watch Asia's division.

"But simply acknowledging is not sufficient. We need to see that there is genuine accountability taken, the perpetrators prosecuted. Why should the victims have to wait 20 years to hear this apology? This is really just the first step."

Andreas Harsono, Human Rights Watch's researcher in Indonesia, also said the expression of regret is a "right step forward", though it's "too little too late". Other massacres were also not mentioned by Widodo as an example of gross human rights violations, including those that targeted Chinese-Indonesians during the nationwide turmoil in the late 1990s, he said.

In a statement, rights group Amnesty International Indonesia said Widodo's omission of other incidents, including the atrocities carried out by the Indonesian military during its occupation of East Timor in the 1970s until the referendum in 1999, was "an insult to many victims".

"Merely mentioning the names of events is far from enough. Not to mention when we talk about sexual violence that occurred systematically in various situations of past gross human rights violations such as 1965-1966 to during the military operations area during 1989-1998," Amnesty said.

Mahfud MD, the coordinating minister, told reporters on Wednesday that Jakarta was still trying to bring the perpetrators of the gross human rights violation cases to court.

Dissatisfaction with Widodo's remarks were also on display in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta on Thursday, where a throng of victims and families of victims held their weekly protest - called 'Kamisan' - to demand the government resolve various human rights violation cases.

Among the crowd was Bedjo Untung, a victim of the 1965 anti-Communist purge and head of the Indonesian Institute for the Study of the 1965/66 Massacre. During the genocide, which killed at least 500,000 people, Bedjo was spared from death, but was thrown into prison and a concentration camp for nine years. His father was imprisoned for 11 years. Both men were not members of Indonesia's communist party, Bedjo said.

"I respect and appreciate Jokowi's step in admitting that crimes against humanity in 1965 had taken place, but it should be noted that for me, as a direct victim, this is just the first step," Bedjo, referencing Widodo's popular nickname, told This Week in Asia.

"There are still laws that persecute victims of 1965 [anti-communist purge], even now they are included in the Criminal Code, namely the article prohibiting Marxism. Therefore, without making changes to the law, I think this is just lip service."

Marxism, Leninism, and Communism have been banned in Indonesia since 1966, and the ban was reinforced recently in the new criminal code.

He also questioned the government's efforts to reconcile with the victims and their families through social aids and other forms of compensation.

"I was arrested, thrown in jail, then forced to work. What happened in 1965? Why were we arrested? Why were we being detained? Where is my grandfather, my uncle, my friend, who disappeared? Where is the grave?" Bedjo said.

"It is not compensation that we need, but the truth. I really ask that justice be enforced through an ad hoc human rights court, which is the duty of the state. Only in this way will I respect Jokowi."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.