Cold War scripts

Abstract

This paper contributes to a growing field of literature on Cold War culture by comparing struggles over memory in Indonesia and Malaysia of anti-communist repressions. It demonstrates the enduring legacies of the Cold War in these neighbouring countries where the war overlapped directly with experiences of colonization and decolonization. I show how and why anticommunism in both countries became a core foundation of both Malaysian and Indonesian nationalism and related religious identification and how this largely explains successive governments' attempts to memorialize and defend these repressions. I argue that recent attempts by both survivors of the repression and younger Indonesians and Malaysians to reexamine the history of the political left or experiences of repression constitute important efforts to rethink the postcolonial predicaments of both countries in different ways.

The Treachery on YouTube: The Politics of Memory on New Media in Indonesia

“…Official memory is promoted by cultural leaders and authorities at all levels of society, driven by social unity and the attainment of societal and political goals to foster particular interpretations of the past that reduce the power of competing interests (Marschall, 2010:141). In official memory, the state holds the institutional power to influence how citizens remember and forget, often for nation building purposes (McGregor, 2016;Bijl, 2012;Sulistiyanto, 2007;Sturken, 1997;Bargueño, 2012). Meanwhile, vernacular memory is abundant and diverse, propagated by 'ordinary people' interested in protecting particular values and memories of their direct experiences with past events or narratives.…”

“…Certain social memories become dominant as a result of the politics of memory, be it practiced by state or non-state actors. In Indonesia, although current president (Joko Widodo) initially vowed to settle past human rights cases-including the 1965/1966 tragedy-the government has maintained the New Order's narrative through monuments, ideologies, and school textbooks, as well as requirements to watch certain films at school (Putten, 2017;McGregor, 2016, McGregor, 2007Zurbuchen, 2002). Even today, state histories identify the defeat of communism as the salvation of the nation, as well as the victory of religious values over dangerous foreign influences.…”

“…At the same time, however, the politics of remembering has been exercised by state and non-state actors. Some civil organisations have challenged attempts to revise the official history, including judicial, military, police, and Islamist institutions-all of which participated in the killings (McGregor, 2016;Fealy & McGregor, 2010). Moreover, civil society organisations have made efforts to promote truth and justice in post-Soeharto Indonesia, holding inclusive activities, using theological approaches, and sponsoring meetings mediated by young Islamist activists (Wahyuningroem, 2013).…”

“…For example, although the Indonesian government authorised a new history curriculum open to potential alternative discussions of 1965/1966, the Attorney General declared that books that did not use the acronym PKI (or G30S/PKI) to describe the Movement would be banned (McGregor, 2016). Similarly, since 2014, anti-communist groups have protested book launches, film screenings, and meetings of former political prisoners in Indonesia (McGregor, 2016). Meanwhile, NU threatened to sue Tempo after the magazine issued a special edition that featured confessions from NU executioners (McGregor, 2016).…”

“…Similarly, since 2014, anti-communist groups have protested book launches, film screenings, and meetings of former political prisoners in Indonesia (McGregor, 2016). Meanwhile, NU threatened to sue Tempo after the magazine issued a special edition that featured confessions from NU executioners (McGregor, 2016).…”