July 7
Indonesia is uniquely situated, almost like India, with its ethnic diversity, which is often very pronounced (e.g. West-East differences). It cannot convincingly copy other nations to develop. It has to sort of be selective when taking ideas, and be careful to not become overly idealistic or puritan when it comes to ideological application.
If any, it was Indonesia that is being copied or taken as an example of successful application of certain policies:
- Using religion to incite grassroot anti-communism movements. Anywhere across the world, communism's biggest enemy is capitalism and economic liberalism. However, in poor countries, it is very difficult to lure the general population with the promise of capitalist wealth in order to steer them away from communistic ideals. So, the anti-communism education is focused on their anti-religion agenda, and pretty much stressed around it: how communism seeks to dismantle traditional and normal way of life with their radical revolutionary ideas, especially the worship of God, which is very important to many Islamic societies. The pro-worker and pro-labour aspects are often disemphasised and never mentioned.
- Using its credential as the largest Muslim-majority nation, and being acceptably Democratic in Western point of view, to model a foreign policy projection on ideal modern Islamic democracy model. Indonesia has successfully navigated murky waters and every downside of being Democratic while having a lot of its under educated and poor citizens highly susceptible to foreign propaganda from all kinds of interest, be it Western, Eastern, and Middle East, but it stays somewhat still largely independent due to its sheer difference and diversity of views.
The first application of religion as a counter to communism ideology is as a result of its implementation in Indonesia. Our founding father, Soekarno, like every ethnic-nationalists ever turned worryingly towards the reds, as most nationalists from poor, democratic, recently independent nation. The US poured money all over Europe to lure them back from communism under Marshall Plan. The same can't be done in Asia or Africa, due to its poor infrastructure and connectivtiy. Once it has gotten too far, a very clever innovative way to stiffle the growth of communism is devised: emphasis on its anti-religion aspect.
Karl Marx wrote a very passionate criticism on religion, which is lengthy, but often paraphrased on the bold part:
Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.
The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.
Instead of ending up in failure like joint British-US grip on Iran, Indonesian model is generally a success. The elected Iran PM Mossadegh was overthrown in 1953. The replacing Shah Pavlevi was in turn, overthrown in 1979. In contrast, Indonesian Soekarno regime was overthrown (or transitioned as our history textbook says) in 1966, but stayed all the way to witness the collapse of USSR in 1991, and all the way to 1998, where it is safe for the US to let its former anti-communist ally to collapse.
As a result, Indonesian labour movement, although very communist, stayed separate.
Pictured: May day protests in Indonesia. Note: May Day started to become a national holiday in 2014, after American-minded, Fort Benning-trained, Webster-educated President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) signed the decree in 2013.
May Day parades and gatherings were banned during Soeharto era for its strongly anti-communist policy. Soeharto projected two pronged spear to fix communism on a stake: nationalism and religion. Nationalism is projected at a secular, affluent level, promoted to appeal to urban youth movements through activities such as scouting, ideological youth organisation, and paramilitary organisations. While religion is often carelessly thrown around to spark grassroot anti communist sentiment among deeply traditional rural population through formal education.
When the G30SPKI (30 September Indonesian Communist Party Movement) was commenced, the victims were high-ranking Army officers, including some Generals. Such humiliation of our military was too much, especially when it is pitted against a bunch of rag tag communist paramilitary thugs. So, the blame is also set on the officer corps of Navy and Air Force being infiltrated by communist insiders and complicit to “save face” and make sense of it. After all, they received the most Soviet “toys" like Navy Destroyers and Cruisers, MiG fighter planes and Tupolev bombers. A purge has to be conducted, and many of them are accused to be Communist Party symphatisers and banished. This shall cover the nationalist front.
The religious front is where it is the bloodiest, and a mix-mash of the nationalistic ideal as well: the massacre of millions of communist cadres, and those who were just accused, or anyone who has been successfully framed as a communist. The grassroot nature of it, means any remote village which still communicate to outside by “kentongan” (slit gong made of bamboo), or drum signals may carry the massacre unwarranted. The passionate killing is well documented in many juicy book clippings, widely circulated by street vendors during pre-reformation era of 1998 all the way to 2001. One famous and most controversial clipping, which was then republished by magazines and newspaper at the time, detailed on 500,000 bodies buried beneath Bali's beach. It is depicted in 2005 Indonesian film “Gie”.
It was a huge success for anti-communist forces, especially the jubilant CIA, whose guy, Allen Pope was humiliated by being captured after assisting a rebellion in in the Moluccas. The threat to repeat of such chaos is often used by US psy-ops to hold Indonesia at leverage when we are dealing with US interests, such as resource mining and oil drilling rights for US companies. All the US and its CIA operative needs is just to spread the “communism scare” and prompt sweeping mass protests like this:
In one nearly uncontrollable anti-communism hysteria, during the tension between US and Indonesia about Papuan resource mining rights & share buyout, the nation is about to be thrown into chaos. So to help easing the tension, the US released this nifty documents:
So, how this Indonesian model is being copied by the US?
Well, for instance, this becomes the basis on their support for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations, which are Monarchical, instead of the more democratic Arab nationalist (the countries which flags are red-white-black), which tend to lean left.
The success of the spread of Iran theocratic revolution in overthrowing the Afghanistan communist government in 1980s, which incited the Soviet invasion, which later bankrupted their economy, contributing to their collapse becomes another moot point.
Religion in some places, is an effective anti-communist tool too. This is also become the basis on why US supported Pakistan instead of India.
On the second example of praising Indonesia as a “successful Islamic democracy that embraces diversity” is the basis on US and its Western allies in pursuing a policy to support or incite the Arab Spring.
The re-discovery of Indonesia is thanks to the rapid expansion and democratisation of internet: spread of Blackberry, adoption of Facebook, which Indonesians become the second largest user, early spark of wokeness movement, and the election of President Obama.
So, Blackberry's significant presence in Indonesia has triggered a lot of interest from many US companies to enter Indonesian market. The popularity of Facebook also prompted its then celebrity-like young owner Mark Zuckerberg to be enamoured with this never-heard before country. The rise of wokeness movement has led some people to realise that the widely used Mercator projection map somewhat duped them about the size of Northern countries.
Suddenly, Indonesia is more noticeable in a map that depicts its actual size than the one that stretches the lattitude as it gets closer to the poles to preserve its compass directional accuracy on a flat surface.
And then there is the election of President Obama. He spent some time in Indonesia, his mother who he grew up with later remarried with Indonesian man. A significant portion of his life is spent with his Indonesian family rather than his mother’s Hawaiian ones, let alone the Kenyan father who left him not long after he was born. Curiosity about this president's background has prompted a lot of searches and discoveries about Indonesia.
Fascination with this islands nation actually has started during George W. Bush era. When Indonesia has re-stablise itself after the tulmotous reformation era, it sets itself as an example on how any Asian-African nation should model a free democracy that is diverse and successful. Bush repeatedly showered the previous president SBY with praises. The tradition continues with Obama, and then Trump, who called the current President Joko Widodo his “best friend”.
Hillary Clinton, once the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, pursued a very aggressive and active foreign policy. One of her most known policies is her support for Arab Spring, which is heavily modelled after Indonesia's democracy. In Egypt, where it was somewhat successful, the democratic process has elected a modern fundamentalist, a Muslim Brotherhood affiliated leader in Mohamed Morsi. It is a given, since the population is highly religious. In another instance is Iraq, which they “liberated” from the tyranny of the Baath party (Arab Nationalist movement), the democratic process obviously elected a Shia Muslim leader, reflecting the voice of the majority. As a result, Iraq grew closer to Iran, which like the outcome in Egypt, isn't well liked by the US.
Libya and Syria are in chaos. Of course, because there are a lot of unsettled business here and there among the locals. Sometimes, a country is ruled by its iron-fist dictator for a reason that is often not understood by the meddling Western nations. Not every country can be like Indonesia, and our own journey is not exactly rosy either.
Copying other nation often results in unexpectedly bad outcome. The complexity of social dynamics is often misunderstood by western policymakers trying to dictate how other nations should run their country. They rely on their idea of “human zoo” for diversity (people who just look and sound different) and sweeping stereotype generalisation “Indonesia is largely collectivist society” based on their “scientific” academic studies that is often very misleading. For instance, yes, we are largely collectivist, but it doesn't mean when you talk to one of us, you are talking to all of us. Sometimes it is the respected local chieftain figures that speaks for all of us. Yes, we have that much power distance, but it doesn't mean we can't overthrow them at a whim, using our collectivist power.
This Guardian article on John Bolton's book by Simon Tisdall pretty much sums up that Western know-it-all attitude:
The article implies that the writer knows what Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, Israel, Syria, China should do to make them palatable to western leftist press.
A week ago, one of the “western puppet” organisation did this:
LOL.
Always doubt their flattery, questions their intention, and if they are genuinely sincere in their ignorance, it is often due to their sheltered first world background.
Indonesia knows very well that it can't copy others. What works for Japan, works for them, what works for India, works for them. What works for Chile, works for them. “What cures Martha, may make Sancho sick”.
For those who want to copy us: are you serious? Try at your own risk!
