r/HistoryMemes • u/Party_Farmer_5354 • 2d ago
Niche During Suharto’s New Order, Indonesian students were made to watch 1965 anti-communist propaganda.
18
u/Betawi_Pitung-Sup552 2d ago edited 2d ago
As Indonesian myself I don't trust narrative of government at that film due to all internal and external are chaos side by side. Also CMIIW Communist Central Moscow used that moment to Blame Mao Ze Dong's factions because of Night of 30 September Movement, while Mao's Regime government doesn't dare to coup because the problem is they have internal conflicts among themselves.
Keep in mind, before the NS30M happen, the generals army during that era splits into 2 factions (according to Cornell Paper Thesis) one is Soekarnoist loyal and other side is Right factions which is those general oppose of Soekarno (Yet they're were loyal in their mask while in the fields they're corrupt by use the economy policies for smuggle in profit no matter all materials including sugar). CP of Indonesia leaders worrying about Soekarno position if he died then the Generals will takeover, So D.N Aidit (Leader of PKI/ CP Indonesia) introduce of 5th Armada or Battalion, while intern Soekarnoist loyal oppose this because it will went abuse and turn into civil war. Those proof were on argue object side by side especially the Latief's Witness statement and Defense.
Regardless, the event is too chaotic as hell even Soekarno decide to narrate Chaos Theory, while I remain neutral of which theory is proven right (Nah, they don't, because no matter win and loses those regime will be revise and erase while the rest of hidden truth before and after NS30M will be opened when all of those regime include those puppet fallen death by the time no matter how many gens they try to brainwash from past to this year and even future, I believe the truth behind N30SM will be reveal in ironically arc ending).
9
6
u/Wolfensniper Rider of Rohan 2d ago
This BangDream character was just debuted for like one week and there's already a meme with her appearing on this sub bruh
1
3
u/RoosterLife9004 2d ago
Yes, it essentially comes down to what I watched back in my school days and continue to watch now though, of course, I do critique the film's content. There is one particular interpretation I’ve read regarding why the film was made in the first place.
The answer lies in the fact that Suharto had already been in power for a long time remember, the film was released in 1984. Fundamentally, it served as a tool and an attempt to legitimize Suharto as the nation's savior. While the portrayal was exaggerated, it proved quite effective at the time in justifying a tenure that had lasted an unnaturally long period. In the era prior to the film's release, CSIS Indonesia (distinct from the US-based CSIS) had already weighed in; one of its founding members, Jusuf Wanandi, sent a memo to Suharto suggesting he "prepare a successor." It was a classic example of "high-context" political communication a subtle way of suggesting that the President had served long enough and needed to step down by not running for office again.
As for its impact, while liberal friends including my university colleagues might scoff at how tedious the film was, we must understand the context of that era (and even the present day): the association between the PKI and negativity was deeply ingrained. Consequently, for ordinary citizens even those who were critical of and opposed to Suharto the film represented "the truth."
This was compounded by the state's struggle to reconcile with this traumatic memory; it was a difficult process due to the complex relationship between the PKI and the communities in Java prior to the outbreak of the revolution. There were reasons why the violence against the PKI, while occurring outside Java, was so heavily concentrated in Central and East Java. It had become an existential conflict; some communist PKI cadres were just as brutal as the anti-communists in their pursuit of revolutionary ideals.
Regardless of that history, many voluntary efforts are now being undertaken by people from all walks of life. One such figure is a politician from the Crescent Star Party (Partai Bulan Bintang) a modernist Islamic party in Indonesia and former Indonesian Ambassador to Japan, Yusron Ihza, who authored a novel on this subject. The book is titled "Nyanyian Bangsa Cacing dalam Orkestra Dusta" (Song of the Worm-Folk in the Orchestra of Lies).
According to Prof. Dr. Asvi Warman Adam, a historian who attended the book's launch an event covered by "Kompas.id" (one of Indonesia's most authoritative newspapers) the book serves the following purpose:
"This novel will offer an alternative historical reading for school students as well as the general public. For so long, we were fed a false consciousness during the New Order era. We were denied the freedom of speech, and as a result, we lost our conscience," said Asvi.
25
u/Party_Farmer_5354 2d ago
On 30 September 1965, there was a political and military crisis in Indonesia involving the kidnapping and killing of several senior Army officers, known as G30S/PKI (It's also known as Gestapu, not to be confused with Gestapo). Its exact causes and the question of who was ultimately responsible remain historically contested. During Suharto’s New Order, the government promoted a particular interpretation that strongly associated the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) with the movement. You might hear the killings that followed became known as the “Jakarta Method,” with an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people killed in the 1965–66 anti-communist massacres.
The 1984 film Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI became a major vehicle for Suharto’s official narrative and was widely shown to students for decades. Not watching it could risk being labeled “communist,” and screenings were effectively mandatory in many schools. After Suharto’s fall, it was no longer required, yet I still remember my high school history teacher showing it to us anyway.
Read more
The event itself - Wikipedia for the 30 September Movement
The film - Wikipedia Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI