State Terrorism and Political Identity in Indonesia Approximately one million innocent Indonesians were killed by their fellow nationals, neighbours and kin at the height of an anti-communist campaign in the mid-1960s. This book investigates the profound political consequences of these mass killings in Indonesia upon public life in the subsequent decades, highlighting the historical speci®cities of the violence and compar- able incidents of identity politics in more recent times. Weaving a balance of theory with an empirically based analysis, the book examines how the spectre of communism and the trauma experienced in the latter half of the 1960s remain critical in understanding the dynamics of terror, coercion and consent today. Heryanto challenges the general belief that the periodic anti-communist witch-hunts of recent Indonesian history are largely a political tool used by a powerful military elite and authoritarian government. The book investigates what drove otherwise apolitical subjects to be complicit in the engul®ng cycles of witch-hunts. It argues that elements of what began as an anti-communist campaign took on a life of their own, increasingly operating independently of the violence and individual subjects who appeared to be manipulating the campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite the profound importance of the 1965±6 events it remains one of the most dicult and sensitive topics for public discussion in Indonesia today. State Terrorism and Political Identity in Indonesia is one of the ®rst books to fully discuss the problematic representation and impacts of a crucial moment of Indonesia's history that until recently has been largely unspoken. Ariel Heryanto is a Senior Lecturer at Melbourne Institute of Asian Languages and Societies, The University of Melbourne. His research interests include cultural studies, media and identity politics. He co-edited Challenging Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia: Comparing Indonesia and Malaysia (RoutledgeCurzon, 2003). Politics in Asia series Formerly edited by Michael Leifer London School of Economics ASEAN and the Security of Politics in Indonesia South-East Asia Democracy, Islam and the ideology Michael Leifer of tolerance Douglas E. Ramage China's Policy Towards Territorial Disputes Communication Ideology and The case of the South China Sea Democracy in Singapore Islands Beng-Huat Chua Chi-kin Lo India and Southeast Asia The Challenge of Democracy in Indian perceptions and policies Nepal Mohammed Ayoob Louise Brown Gorbachev and Southeast Asia Japan's Asia Policy Leszek Buszynski Wolf Mendl Indonesian Politics under Suharto The International Politics of the Order, development and pressure Asia-Paci®c, 1945±1995 for change Michael Yahuda Michael R.J. 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Ganesan Edited by Peter Van der Veer and Shoma Munshi Party Politics in Taiwan Party change and the democratic China, Arms Control and evolution of Taiwan, 1991±2004 Nonproliferation Dafydd Fell Wendy Frieman Communitarian Politics in Asia Edited by Chua Beng Huat State Terrorism and Political Identity in Indonesia Fatally belonging Ariel Heryanto First published 2006 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” & 2006 Ariel Heryanto All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0±415±37152±X For Arya and Nina Contents Dedication vii Acknowledgements xi 1 Remembered signs, dismembered bodies 1 2 The implosion of stigmas 33 3 The Yogyakarta case 62 4 Law and state terrorism 106 5 Hyper-obedience as subversion 135 6 Identity, power, and history 159 Glossary 196 Notes 198 References 224 Index 237 Acknowledgements This book, like most others, is in a sense a product of a collective work. Although I did most of the actual research work, and presenting the ®ndings in this ®nal form, this book could not have been completed without the generous support of institutions and many individuals who do not neces- sarily agree with what is presented here. Needless to say, I am alone respon- sible for all the shortcomings in this whole endeavour. Without pretending to be able to provide a complete list, or having the illusion of being able to thank them enough, let me mention those whose assistance and contribution have been of greatest importance. I am most indebted to Joel S. Kahn and Kenneth Young, my former supervisors while conducting my doctoral research that laid the foundation for a great part of this current work. Their intellectual work remains a critical source of inspiration. As will be evident, especially in Chapters 3 and 4, Darmawan, Hidayat, and Rudy provided me generously with the most important and rare infor- mation during my ®eldwork, allowing me to make the more abstract argu- ments with empirical and nuanced evidence. To the three of them I am extremely grateful. Several individuals have made my research in Yogya- karta much easier and meaningful: Widya Saraswati, Fl. Swity Andari, Amir Husein Daulay, Kuntjara Hadi, Ons Untoro, Rizal Mallarangeng, Dadang Yuliantoro, Budi S. Marsudi, Faruk HT, the Mahartos, Nanang Junaedi, Mohamad Hatta Boerhanan, and members of the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), especially Nur Ismanto and Ridarson Galigging. I thank them for their friendship, hospitality, and invaluable information. Towards the ®nal rewriting of the manuscript, Miriam Lang oered excel- lent editing assistance and moral support. Many of the arguments presented here evolved from various earlier drafts and separate conversations that have enjoyed comments from David Bourchier, Daniel Lev, Douglas Miles, Stanley Y. Adi, Amrih Widodo, James Scott, Budiawan, Mary Zurbuchen, Krishna Sen, Donald Emmerson, Crawford Young,