Vol. 31, No. 3 (October 2019) HUMANIORA page 293—301 https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/jurnal-humaniora https://doi.org/10.22146/jh.v31i3.26774 Challenging the New Order’s Communist Figures: A New Historicism Study on Penjagal Itu Telah Mati Muhammad Taufiqurrohman Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Indonesia Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT This paper aims to discuss the images of communist figures in Post-Suharto 1965 fictional narratives. Images of communists or alleged-communists appeared in many books and films produced under the Suharto regime as villains and atheists, antagonists of the nation who deserved to be jailed and killed. This paper, applying the descriptive-qualitative method and new historicism as theoretical framework, unpacks these infamous, stereotypical images of communists and alleged-communists and juxtaposes them with their counterparts in Post-Suharto 1965 fictional narratives. The end of the Suharto regime, which brought freedom of speech, enabled some victims of post-1965 tragedy (mostly ex-political prisoners) and their descendants to articulate a counter-culture and write other version of historiography. One of these authors is Gunawan Budi Susanto, who wrote a 1965 short story collection titled Penjagal Itu Telah Mati (The Slaughterer Has Died) (2015). Susanto’s stories challenge New Order’s images of communist or alleged-communist figures, depicting most of them as good citizens. While images of communist figures are not as stable and absolute as what the New Order constructed, they remain contested in the unfinished historiography. Keywords: communist figures; images; ‘65 book; new historicism INTRODUCTION This paper analyses one Penjagal Itu Telah Mati (The to be jailed and slaughtered. Soon after Suharto’s political Slaughterer Has Died), a collection of short post-Suharto exit, however, many Indonesian authors began producing 1965 fictional narratives by Gunawan Budi Susanto. The new narratives, especially literary works, that challenged term “Post-Suharto 1965 fictional narrative” denotes stories the official historiography. Generally, these works try to about the 1965 tragedy published after the fall of the New provide other version of national historiography dealing Order’s regime. The decline of the New Order has brought with the 1965 tragedy. freedom of speech for Indonesian people to publically Researchers have already conducted analysis on discuss some taboo aspects of national history. The 1965- many of these narratives. Kiswondo (2006, quoted in 1966 tragedy is the best evidence. From its beginning, the Yoseph Yaphi Thaum’s thesis) analysed 5 novels and 4 Suharto regime paid special attention to this tragedy and short stories published in the first decade of the post- the construction of an official historiography around it. Suharto era (1997-2005). Most of these fictional narratives According to this official historiography, 1965-1966 was are written by ex-political prisoners detained for their a result of PKI’s coup. This monolithic historiography alleged roles in the 1965 coup. The five novels areMerajut was disseminated for fifty years via radiobroadcasting, Harkat, by Putu Oka Sukanta, 1999; Tapol, by Ngarto military magazines, films, caricatures, and literary works. Februana, 2000; Layang-layang Itu Tak Lagi Mengepak As a result, Indonesian people commonly accept that Tinggi-tinggi, by Martin Alaeda, 2003; Derak-derak by millions of communists or alleged-communists deserved Zoya Herawati, 2005, and Kemerdekaan Dimulai dari Humaniora, Vol. 31, No. 3 (October 2019) Lidah, by A.D. Donggo, 2005; and the four short stories Nyanyian Penggali Kubur (Song of Tomb Digger) are Tailalat by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, 1997; Perjalanan (2011—one year prior to Amba and Pulang), Penjagal Pengantin by G.M.Sudarta, 2003; Gerbang (Bukan Itu Telah Mati (The Slaughterer Has Died) (2015), and Surga Bukan Neraka) by Koeslan Budiman, 2004; and Cik Hua (2018). Published by local publishers (Gigih Menunggu Telinga Tumbuh by Indra Tranggono, 2005. Media in Semarang and Pataba in Blora), these three Although Kiswondo’s analysis has some weaknesses, the collections contain stories rooted in the author’s personal analysis at least opened a discussion in the new territory experience as the son of a father murdered in the 1965 of post-Suharto 1965 fiction studies. tragedy. This paper argues that Penjagal Itu Telah Mati In the second decade of post reformation, there (The Slaughterer Has Died) embodies counter-images many fictional narratives emerged that feature the 1965 that challenge the New Order’s 1965 historiography, tragedy as the background. Two of them received national particularly regarding communists and their affiliates. attention. They are Amba, by Laksmi Pamuntjak, 2012; In short, this paper seeks to contextualize and make sense and Pulang, by Leila S. Chudlori, 2012. Amba tells of the images of communist or alleged-communist figures about a story of the protagonist Amba’s life and her depicted in Susanto’s short stories. love affair with Bhisma, a Leipzig-graduate doctor who sympathizes with leftist movement in 1965 Indonesia. Pulang explores similar themes, but is set in Paris and METHODOLOGY Jakarta. This narrative follows Lintang Utara, a daughter This descriptive-qualitative research mainly applies of Dimas Suryo, an Indonesian political exile in France, the “thick description” or “in-depth reading” method, and Vivienne Deveraux, a student who became involved wherein the researcher observes the same text repeatedly in demonstrations against French government. After in pursuit of comprehensive meaning (Geertz, 1973: 25). 1965, Dimas and his friends, Nugroho, Tjai and Risjaf, After articulating the “always-unfinished-meaning,” the who were on an overseas journey, could not return to researcher puts it into the discursive and historical context Indonesia. They were considered leftist intellectuals and using secondary data such as historical books, journals, banned by the New Order. magazines, and films as well. Both fiction and nonfiction In both literary studies and history, Jakarta-based are examined to produce new meanings beyond the texts authors with established national and international themselves. audiences tend to receive more attention than their This paper applies New Historicism as the main more marginal counterparts. As Anthony Reid (2016:7) theoretical lens. This framework assumes that historical notes, for example, the traditional historiography has phenomena can be read like texts, or vice versa. In been constructed mainly by authors like UI’s Nugroho other words, any text, including literary texts, can be Notosusanto, who lived at the political center, Jakarta, read like historical texts. H. Aram Veeser has isolated and sympathized with the Army and its national project. five key assumptions foundational to New Historicism Nugroho favored the Army which was in power after (Castle, 2007, 132): 1) “Every expressive act is embedded 1966 and “gave the military the kind of history they in a network of material practices”; 2) Every critique wanted,” and eclipsed more marginal and subversive inevitably “uses the tools it condemns and risks falling authors like UGM’s Sartono Kartodirdjo. Producing this prey to the practice it exposes”; 3) Literary and non- historiography led to Nugroho’s being appointed Minister literary texts “circulate inseparably”; 4) No discourse of Education and Rector of UI (1983-86). Reid also states “gives access to unchanging truths” nor “expresses that Jogja historians knew about Sartono’s critique of inalterable human nature”; and 5) Critical methods under Nugroho’s version of the 1965 event in Volume 6 of capitalism “participate in the economy they describe.” Sejarah Nasional Indonesia. Unlike Nugroho, Sartono The theory postulates that literary and non-literary texts who located far from Jakarta, both politically and are inseparable. Every text has its own formation and geographically, and remained distant from the politics. ideology, and there is no stable and absolutely true As a result, Nugroho’s version of 1965 became the discourse within any text, including literature ones. This dominant historiography in Indonesia and has maintained theoretical framework is used to build the analysis by its centrality to this day. linking the stories of the collection with the world outside Responding to this phenomenon, I offer an it, especially the life of the author, the historical context analysis of works of a less nationally recognized author, of the 1965 tragedy, and the socio-political context of his Gunawan Budi Susanto. Susanto, living in Semarang, emergence as an author. has already published three short story collections, With these five key assumptions, this article 294 Taufiqurrohman - Challenging the New Order's Communist Figures 1) reveals how “the collection as an expressive act is activist also affects his stories in the collection. As an embedded in a network of material practices” by showing anti-Suharto activist, he strongly criticized the New the relation between the stories, the biography of the author, Order’s policies, be they social, political, or cultural. In and the socio-historical context of the work; 2) shows 1982 Susanto started to study Indonesian Literature at how both the literary and non-literary texts “circulate Diponegoro University. The 1980s were a time of so- inseparably” by comparing and contrasting the content of called “normalization of campus life,” which meant, in the stories with the