Tria Sutrisna, Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The families of activists abducted in 1997-98 are suffering from trauma after meeting with senior officials from president elect Prabowo Subianto's Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) on Sunday April 4.
Indonesian Association of the Families of Missing Persons (IKOHI) General Secretary Zaenal Muttaqin explained that the families are traumatised because they feel that they were lied to about the agenda of the meeting.
This is because the participants did not meet with the IKOHI management which usually initiates such reunions.
"Because we are accustomed to meeting specifically with the victims' families, to update them on the latest developments", Muttaqin told reporters in South Jakarta on Wednesday August 7.
"Usually in the stories of the problems of the families that are told, about the advocacy steps for next year and so forth", he continued.
At the meeting on August 4, said Muttaqin, the families of the victims instead meet with Gerindra Executive Director Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Gerindra Deputy Chairperson Habiburokhman.
The families who attended were not informed at all about the presence of the two politicians who are close assistants to Prabowo.
"So up until the meeting finished, the families were still asking, how come up until the end [of the meeting] they didn't appear [the IKOHI management]. Until all of a sudden there was Dasco, and the end was like that, as far a we know. And up until now they're still traumatised", said Muttaqin.
The brother of missing People's Democratic Party (PRD) activist and radical poet Wiji Thukul, Wahyu Susilo, added that the trauma experienced by the families was made worse because Ahmad uploaded a photograph of the families along with himself and Habiburokhman on social media.
"This will cause a real psychological burden for the victims in the photograph who were actually not in an equal power relationship, they were intimidated", said Susilo.
In addition to this, Susilo continued, Ahmad even claimed that the meeting was to strengthen Girindra's relationship with the victims, as well as synchronising the vision of the two parties.
In the end, it was difficult for the victims' families to refuting the narrative that had been built by Gerindra after the meeting.
"And still, for example, some of the people are suffering depression. Like my nephew (Fitri Nganthi Wani) who is depressed because she had to accept the fact that there was actually no IKOHI", explained Susilo.
As reported earlier, Ahmad and Habiburokhman met with the families of missing persons and 1998 activists on Sunday. Ahmad explained that the meeting was held in the context of strengthening fraternal ties.
"The meeting with the families of missing persons and '98 activists was also in the context of a friendly get together. Strengthening fraternal ties", said Dasco at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday August 5.
"We don't talk about anything much, we agreed only that in the future we will both think about Indonesia's progress", he continued.
According to Ahmad, in relation to what happened in the past, this has already been resolved by the government. As it is known, there have been allegations of human rights violations over the disappearance of several pro-democracy activists in 1997-98.
"And then there are things in the past, yes, there has already been a resolution carried out by the government. But we also want to synchronise everything order to synchronise a vision going forward", said Ahmad.
In relation to whether there was a message conveyed by the families of the missing people to Gerindra general chairperson and president elect Prabowo Subianto, Ahmad stressed that there was nothing related to politics.
He said they just discussed how to improve the welfare of the people in relation to education, food and health. Ahmad again emphasised that past human rights violations have already been resolved by the government.
"On the settlement of human rights violations, these have already been resolved non-judicially by the government. And they [the families] know that there is already a resolution", he added.
Notes
Between 1997 and 1998 as many as 23 pro-democracy activists were abducted by members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus). After extended periods of detention – in many cases the victims were severely tortured – most were released although 13 including Wiji Thukul remain missing and are presumed dead. Former Kopassus commander Lieutenant General Prabowo Subianto who was at the time President Suharto's son-in-law, has admitted to ordering the abductions but denies ordering their torture and claims they were all released alive and well. Prabowo, who was discharged from the military for ordering the abductions but has never been tried in court, won the 2024 presidential election and will be inaugurated as Indonesia's next president in October.
- Families of '98 victims say they were tricked into meeting with Prabowo's top people. Kompas.com – August 7, 2024
- Activists slam meeting with families of '98 victims and people close to Prabowo. Tempo – August 5, 2024
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Merasa Dibohongi, Keluarga Korban Penculikan '98 Trauma Usai Bertemu Elite Gerindra".]
