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Every September,
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Indonesia commemorates an event known as
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the 30th of September Movement
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which purged the Communist Party of Indonesia.
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or G30S / PKI.
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It is a historically significant event
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as only 55 years ago
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the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI)
was close to controlling the Indonesian government.
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This is not the first time the PKI sought power
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or came into conflict with the government.
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But then given all these past issues,
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how did the PKI become an influential party in Indonesia
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before it was permanently dissolved in 1965?
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(The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party of Indonesia)
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(Thank you to our supporters)
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Although the 1950's were the heydays of communism,
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the seeds of this movement were present even when
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Indonesia was known as the Dutch East Indies.
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Namely in the early 1900s.
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During then, Dutch colonialism was at its peak
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after conquering various regions of the archipelago
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and connecting these areas together
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through transportation and infrastructure.
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The Dutch then opened the Dutch East Indies to foreign investment
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and relaxed international trade regulations
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which made it a center for exporters of important commodities
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such as sugar, coffee, spices and rubber.
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Rapid economic growth soon followed.
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Unfortunately, the Dutch overlooked one crucial issue.
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Namely, racial laws
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that classified certain ethnic groups into a hierarchy.
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Instead of making everyone prosperous,
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this economic growth instead widened the racial gap
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and created a circle of jealousy
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between Indigenous, Indo-European and Chinese ethnicities.
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Coupled with the large number of Dutch immigrants
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who received special privileges,
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resentment and jealousy brewed within certain groups
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and led to the founding of organizations
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that prioritized the interests of said groups.
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The Islamic Union is one such example.
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It was formed with the special purpose of
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helping Indigenous traders compete against Chinese traders.
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Headed by Tjokroaminoto, membership rose so sharply
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that the Dutch feared a rebellion was near.
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From here,
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the seeds of the communist movement were sown.
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In 1914,
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a Dutch citizen named
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Henk Sneevliet
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founded an organization called
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the Indies Social Democratic Association
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or ISDV in Surabaya.
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This organization called for revolutionary socialism
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which blamed the working class' oppression on capital owners,
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rather than on the domination of one ethnicity over another.
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As such,
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membership for these organizations
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tended to be more inclusive
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as they did not discriminate against religions or ethnicities.
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However, ISDV membership was still relatively small
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and overwhelmingly made up of Dutch citizens.
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So, how did this small organization
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develop so rapidly in the coming days?
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Chapter 2: World War One
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Though it happened in Europe,
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World War 1
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had significant repercussions for the Dutch East Indies.
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Both Britain and France
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decreased exports from the Dutch East Indies to Europe
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in order to isolate Germany.
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In addition,
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concerned about the Japanese attack on the Dutch East Indies,
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armies across the Indonesian archipelago hoarded staple goods
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which ended up drastically increasing prices
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throughout the region.
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The economy became sluggish.
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And the dismissal of small wage workers
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only increased by the day.
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Everywhere there was rising panic.
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People conspired against Chinese ethnic groups
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and against Dutch officials
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and it was slowly getting worse.
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Even more,
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Food sources had to be imported from elsewhere
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because not enough agricultural land was available
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to feed everyone in the Archipelago.
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In these dire situations,
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ISDV narratives such as exploitation and class struggles
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became more attractive to the public.
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Especially compared to other organizations
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who were more concerned with the needs of their specific groups.
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The ISDV began launching harsh criticism of the Islamic Union
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when it learned that they were planning
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to join the Dutch-made council,
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Volksraad.
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The Dutch East Indies government's plan
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to create an Indigenous militia called
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Indie Weerbaar
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also became fodder for an ISDV campaign.
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Slowly,
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members of the Islamic Union
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began joining the ISDV.
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Several key figures such as
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Tjokroaminoto (a prominent figure in Islamic circles)
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and Tan Malaka (hailing from the communist side)
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tried to keep the two united.
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However,
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this attempt was unsuccessful.
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In 1920,
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the ISDV was officially changed
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to become the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
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Unfortunately,
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the PKI and other organizations still failed to unite.
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And in 1926,
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the PKI launched a rebellion
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against the Dutch
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who in turn became increasingly repressive.
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Not only against the PKI,
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but against other freedom fighters.
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As a result,
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many PKI members were exiled
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to remote areas such as Papua.
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Moreover,
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the Dutch colonial government began
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creating political divisions
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by separating communist groups
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from non-communist national groups
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in the hopes of preventing exposure
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of communist radicalism to other nationalist groups.
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Despite Dutch efforts to sow division,
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non-communist nationalist groups were already aware of this tactic.
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Chapter 3: Soekarno
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This failure became a lesson for young Soekarno.
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That Indonesian independence could only be achieved
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if all organizations
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were united by national interest
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and not out of interest for themselves.
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As such,
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Soekarno considered that the PKI
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could not be rejected from the national struggle.
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This also inspired Soekarno
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to come up with the idea of "Nasakom".
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When he founded the Indonesian National Party (PNI),
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he modified the PKI philosophy of Marxism
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to better suit Indonesian conditions
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which he then called "marhaenism".
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Religious values learned from the Islamic Union
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were also adopted and combined with a spirit of nationalism.
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However,
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Soekarno's plans did not go as easily as he hoped.
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Chapter 4: Revolts and Requests
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The year is 1948.
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Indonesia was already independent.
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But.
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The Indonesian Communist Party rebelled again.
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But this time,
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it was against the newly-formed Indonesian government
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as they felt that the Renville Agreement signed by Indonesia
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hurt the country greatly.
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According to Musso, Indonesia was too soft on the Netherlands.
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The mastermind of this rebellion,
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Musso even accused Soekarno
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and Mohammad Hatta of being traitors.
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He went as far as declaring
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a Soviet Republic of Indonesia.
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This rebellion was thwarted by the Indonesian army (TNI).
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However.
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Even though this rebellion claimed many lives,
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including military personnel and religious leaders,
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PKI activities were never banned.
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Not even by President Soekarno himself.
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This was taken advantage of by D. N. Aidit
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who quickly changed the party's direction from opposition party
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to a pro-government party.
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Under his leadership,
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The PKI was pushed to forge closer ties with President Soekarno
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as well as the party he founded, PNI,
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despite the two's differing ideologies.
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And this closeness,
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did increase the PKI's influence in society.
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However, the TNI were still suspicious of the PKI
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and believed they wanted to spread communism within the TNI.
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Futhermore,
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they knew PKI could take over
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if President Soekarno died.
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Chapter 5: The G30 Event
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Towards the end of 1965,
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the very things the PKI and army feared
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began happening.
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President Soekarno's health began to decline
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and issues around a transfer of power began to circulate.
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Would the TNI decide to avenge the Madiun Incident?
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Or would the opposite occur?
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Ultimately, on the night of September 30,
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a bloody event took place.
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After the tragic events that befell
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seven army generals,
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The TNI decided to crush the PKI to its core.
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The TNI could no longer tolerate the PKI's existence.
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And with the events of Supersemar, the army wiped out the PKI
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as well as all other affiliated organizations.
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All of PKI's supporters and influence were eliminated.
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And the Communist Party, which was originally so influential
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disappeared from Indonesia.
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(At its peak, the PKI boasted around 3 million members.)
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(Affiliated organizations such as SOBSI, Lekra, BTI, Pemuda Rakyat and Gerwani had around 20 million members combined.)
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(After the events of 1965, all ideas and values related to communism and left-wing politics were suppressed in Indonesia.)
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(Around 500,000 - 1,000,000 people were killed due to suspected involvement with the PKI. About 1,000,000 were jailed.)
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(The actual numbers are uncertain.)
