Poverty and terror in Indonesia INDONESIAN COMMUNIST DESTROYED BY MAOISM

BY JACK GALE. PART THREE In 1965, the Communist had always sought diplomatic Party of Indonesia (PKI) support from Moscow and had a membership of over 3 million and was bloody counter-revolution. the largest Communist in 1965, the coalition of bourParty in an Asian capi- geois nationalism and Stalinism talist country. Mass or- fell apart. ganizations under its con- Sukarno's rule, some PKI comtrol had a combined mittees in the regions had been mempersmip or 10 million.

Dominated by the Stalinist theory of peaceful co-existence, the PKI-under the close direction of Peking-restricted its mass forces to support for the Bonapartist regime of President Achmad Sukarno.

Sukarno represented the native bourgeoisie, balancing between imperialism and the semi-colonial masses. H e leaned on the PKI on the one hand and reactionary military leaders, such as Suharto, on the other.

Instead of leading the oppressed masses into a struggle for power against both internal reaction and world imperialism, Maoist theories meant that the PKI virtually dissolved itself into Sukarno's alliance (NASAKOM), which This opened the door to When the right wing struck Even before that, under outlawed and their leaders arrested.

Yet right up to the actual counter-revolution the PKI was advocating a 'Fifth Force' of armed peasants and workers to fight Malaysia side by side with the army, navy, air force and police.

The army-Sukarno-PKI alliance was destroyed by September 30 coup. (1 ne ir1. -movement has always been known as the 'September 30 Movement', although the actual events took place on October 1, 1965.)

Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Untung, a member of the President's Palace Guard, a group of middle-ranking officers seized six top-ranking generals and executed them at the Halim airfield,_just outside Jakarta.

The Untung group brought the PKI chairman, D. N. Aidit, tribunal in Jakarta just after the 1965 coup. and other political leaders to their Halim base 'for their personal safety'.

On October 2-shortly before it was banned-the PKI daily 'Harian Rakjat' published an editorial expressing the Party's official view that the Untung coup was 'an internal affair of the army.

The right-wing army leadership, however, chose to regard Untung as the chosen instrument of the PKI. Claiming that the entire Communist and leftwing movement was implicated, they not only crushed the Untung group, but launched a murderous attack on the left throughout Indonesia.

Over 500,000 people were murdered and 250,000 arrested. Over 55,000 remain in jail and only about 300 have ever been brought to trial. President Sukarno remained as a figurehead for the new regime until March, 1966, when he was forced to sign over his powers to Suharto.

Every left-wing was made illegal and in early by the Soviet Ambassador in Jakarta, Mr Volkov.

Volkor declared Suharno's rainer predictable 'election' success to be victory for democracy and for the people of Indonesia'. He invited Sokowati visit the Soviet Union for talks. similar invitation Was extended the regime's Minister for Social Affairs, Mintaredja.

The total domination of Indonesian industry by first American anal then Japanese capitalism has been discussed in an earlier article. But European big business is anxious to get in on the act. On a visit Paris November Hasl year, Suharto urged European businessmen:

It .would be profitable for you businessmen, who always looking out for new outlets wherever vou can find them, to take interests in potential of Indonesia.' Suharto is also optimistic about establishing friendly arons WiTh China--and has good grounds considering he was in full agreement with Mao Tse-tung on supporting the butcher Yahya Khan againsi the people of Bangla Desh.

In a speech on the anniversary of Indonesia's independence from Holland, Suharto said he was anxious to open friendly relations with China, and to reopen the embassies which were closed in 1967.

'We want to open friendly relations and co-operate •ll countries' he raide irrespective of political and social systems.' No one should be surprised the willingness of world Stalinism to enter into the closest relations with the regime troyed hundreds of ally desof thousands of The responsibility for the Suharto counterrevolution recto squarely on Stalinism. in particular on the Peking Maoists.

Only the construction of the revo IliOnary International the International Committee of the Fourth nternannam _can bring about the defeat of world imperialism, its puppet regimes and its international ally, world Stalinism.

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