Menjelang Kunjungan Presiden BARACK OBAMA (1)

Kolom IBRAHIM ISA
Kemis, 11 Maret 2010
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Menjelang Kunjungan Presiden BARACK OBAMA (1)
< Apa Pesan Amnesty International A.S. Kepada Obama>

Diberitakan dari Indonesia, bahwa sekitar akhir Maret ini, Presiden Amerika Serikat, Barack Obama akan mengadakan kunjungan kenegaraan ke Indonesia. Ini adalah kunjungan pertama kalinya ia lakukan ke Indonesia, sesudah menjadi Presiden Amerika Serikat.

Sejak berumur 6 tahun, dari th 1967 s/d 1971 keluarga Obama berdomisili di Jakarta, di Jalan Taman Amir Hamzah, No 22 (Pav). Setelah cerai dengan suaminya yang pertama, seorang mahasiswa Kenya yang sedang menempuh studinya di Universitas Hawaii, ibu Obama kawin lagi dengan seorang Indonesia, Lolo Soetoro, seorang mahasiwa Indonesia yang ketika itu bersekolah di Unversitas Hawaii. Dari perkawinan dengan Lolo Soetoro, Barack Obama memperoleh seorang adik perempuan bernama Maya. Sekarang tinggal di Hawai (USA).

Barac Obama dengan Indonesia memang dekat. Ia bersekolah (dasar) di sekolah Indonesia di Menteng. Teman-teman sepermainamya adalah anak-anak Indonesia. Mereka bermian bersama di sekolah, berenang di sungai sama-sama, atau menunggang kerbau kaum tani di sawah.

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Yang terpenting ialah bahwa Barack Obama MENULIS buku, dimana ia berkish tentang masa kecilnya di Indonesia. Di buku berikutnya, Obama menulis tentang politik Indonesia. Ini dilakukannya setelah ia menjadi Senator USA. Sesudah ia menjadi politkus. Tulisannya di dalam bukunya “THE AUDICITY OF HOPE – Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream”, Obama memerlukan kurang lebih 10 halaman mengisahkan kenangan dan PENDANGANNYA tentang Indonesia. Sebelum dan semasa Orba.

Bagaimana persisnya pandangan/sikap Barack Obama megenai rezim Orba di bawah Presiden Suharto? Berani kukatakan: Obyektif; di lihat dari pandangan politisi Amerika dewasa ini. Dalam bukunya Obama jelas menilai bahwa yang terjadi di Indonesia dalam tahun 1965 adalah perebutan kekuasaan oleh Jendral Suharto. Ia juga jelas menggambarkan jumlah luar biasa orang Indonsia yang tak bersalah yang jadi korban kampanye pembersihan golongan militer; pada masa-masa Suharto mulai berkuasa. Presiden SBY mutlak harus membaca baik-baik, sedikitnya bagian tentang Indonesia. Yang ditulis Obama dalam bukunya itu, adalah pandangan kritis, tajam dan pasti tidak disukai oleh elite dewasa ini yang masih belum lepas dari pandangan verdi Orba mengenai Peristiwa 1965. Termausk “penasihat-penasihat politik” SBY benar-benar harus tau isi politik buku-buku Obama itu.

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Sebagai ilustrasi mari kita jenguk sebagian (kecil) pandangn Obama mengenai Indonesia menjelang dan ketika kekuasaan negara 'bergésér' dari Presiden Sukarno ke Jendral Suharto.

“Sukarno proved to be a major disappointment to Washington. Along with Nehru of India and Nasser of Egypt, he helped found the nonaligned movement, an effort by nations newly liberated from colonial rule to navigate an independent path between
the West anf the Soviet bloc. Indonesia's Cmmunist Party, although never formally in power, grew in size and influence. Sukarno himself ramped up the anti-Western rhetoric, nationalizing key industries, rejecting U.S. aid, and strengthening ties with the Soviets and China. With U.S. Forces knee-deep in Vietnam and the domino theory still a central tenet of U.S. Foreign policy, the CIA began providing covert
support to various insurgencies inside Indonesia, and cultivated close links with Indonesia's military officers, many of whom had been trained in the Unite States. In 1965, under the leadership of General Suharto, the military moved against Sukanro, and under emergency powers began a massive purge of communists and their symphathizers. According to estimates, between 500.ooo and one million people were slaughtered during the purge, with 750.000 others imprisoned or forced to exile”.
(Barack Obama – THE AUDICITY OF HOPE. Thoughts on Reclaiming The American Dream, First published (2006) in New York, the U.S. by The Crown Publishers; Chapter 8, The World Beyond Our Borders, page 272-273. Paperback edition, by Canongates Book, 2008.)

Jelas, dikemukakan mengapa Washington 'tak suka' kepada Sukarno. Penyebabnya: -- Sukarno bersama Nehru dan Nasser membangun kekuatan baru Gerakan Non-Blok, yang dikatakan Obama sebagai, suatu usaha untuk menempuh politik yang bebas dari Barat maupun blok-Soviet. Juga terang dijelaskan, bahwa di bawah 'teori domino' yang menjadi pendirian politik laurnegeri AS, CIA mendukung pemberontakan di daerah, (maksudnya PRRI, Permesta dan GAM, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka), meskipun tidak ditulis hitam di atas putih. Juga gamblang sekali dijealskan bahwa CIA membangun jaringannya dengan perwira-perwira tentara. Hasilnya, pada tahun 1965 di bawah Jendral Suharto dilakukan perebutan kekuasaan negara.

Selanjutnya Obama mengungkapkan bahwa pada 'pembersihan' yang dilakukan Suharto terhadap kaum Komunis dan simpatisannya, telah jatuh korban sekitar 500.000 sampai 1 juta orang. Tambah lagi 750.000 orang yang dipenjarakan atau terpaksa eksil. Sepanang ingatan, belum pernah ada politisi Amerika Serikat, yang anggota Senat, bicara begitu jelas mengenai Peristiwa 1965 dan korban yang jatuh.
Jelas sekali Obama samasekali tidak menganggap Peristiwa Pembantaian 1965 itu sebagai suatu KONFLIK HORIZONTAL, suatu konflik di antara kekuatan-kekuatan DIDALAM masyarakat. Dari pengemukaannya mengenai Peristiwa 1965, ia berpendapat bahwa Peristiwa 1965 dan korban yang jatuh, adalah suatu KONFLIK VERTIKAL. Antara yang punya kekuasaan dengan rakyat biasa. Bukan sutu konflik di kalangan masyrakat.

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Di atas dikemukakan bahwa pandangan Obama (ketika itu masih belum Presiden AS) mengenai Indonesia periode itu, adalah 'obyektif'. Ia menulis setelah beberapa tahun menjadi politikus. Dari 1996 s/d 2004 ia terpilih dan aktif di Senat negara bagian. Dari 2005 s/d 2008 ia terpilih di Senat Amerika Serikat (pusat). Mari ikuti lagi bagian berikutnya dari bukunya mengenai Indonesia ketika itu.

“It was two years after the purge began, in 1967, the same year that Suharto assumed the presidency, that my mother and I learned in Jakarta, a consequence of her remarriage to an Indonesian student (Lolo Soetoro) whom she'd met at the University of Hawaii. I was six at the time, my mother twenty-four. In later years my mother would insist that had she known what had transpired in the preceeding months, we never whould have made the trip. But she didn't – the full story of the coup and the purge was slow to appeara in American newspapers. (Ibid)

Dari uraian Obama diatas, juga jelas bahwa ibunda Obama, Ann Dunhm, tidak akan mau ke Indonesia, andaikata ia tau apa yang terjadi sebelumnya di Indoneisa. Maksdnya, G30S dam Peristiwa Pembantaian1965, serta perebutan kekuasan negara oleh Jendral Suharto.


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Menjelang kunjungan Presiden Barack Obama ke Indonesia, sebuah organisasi hak-hak azasi manusia (HAM) di Amerika, yaitu AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA, menulis sepucuk surat terbuka kepada Presiden Obama. Sebagai lampiran di bawah disiarkan lengkap surat Amnesty International USA tsb dalam bahasa aslinya. Yaitu bahasa Inggris.

Arti penting surat AI-USA tsb ialah bahwa saran atau pesan yang disampaikannya kepada Presiden Obama ketika berkunjung ke Indonesia nanti, begitu gamblang dan begitu jelas.

TERAMAT PENTING, ialah bahwa Amnesty International – USA mengingatkan kepada Presiden Obama, a.l. sbb:

“ Ketika berkunjung di Indonesia nanti, kami mendesak dengan kuat untuk mengadakan pertemuan dengan mereka-mereka yang membela hak-hak azasi manusia dan para keluarga korban kesewenang-wenangan negara, teristimewa para warganegara sipil yang dibunuh pada periode kekacauan politik 1965. Kami juga mendesak Anda untuk memberikan pernyataan terbuka peranan apa yang dimainkan dalam Kemintraan Komprehensif AS-Indonesia dan tekankan bahwa hak-hak azasi manusia akan memainkan peranan penting sama pentingnya dengan peranan perdagangan dan keamanan. . . . .”
(Bersambung)

Lampiran: SEPUCUK SURAT TERBUKA AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL U.S.A.
tertuju kepada Presiden Barack Obama, menjelang kunjungan kenegaraan ke Indoensia, yang direncanakan akhir Maret ini.

LAMPIRAN:
Release Date: 03/05/10 13:26:00

Amnesty International U.S.A.
Letter to President Obama on Indonesia

March 2, 2010

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:
As you prepare to travel to launch the US–Indonnesia Comprehensive Partnership, Amnesty International would like to bring to your attention the human rights situation in Indonesia and urge you to press President Susilo Bangbang Yudhoyono for meaningful human rights improvements.
Failure to do so would send the wrong signal: that the United States is not concerned about human rights in Indonesia. 

While in Indonesia, we strongly urge you to meet with human rights defenders and the families of victims of state abuse, especially those civilians who were killed during the 1965 political turmoil. We also urge you to publicly state what role human rights will play in the US–Indonesia Comprehensive partnership and emphasize that human rights will play as important a role as trade and security. Please commend Indonesia's leadership role in creating the human rights body in ASEAN. Encourage President Yudhoyono to continue Indonesia's active role in this body and offer to assist their work.

Even though Indonesia has come a long way over the years in its respect for human rights, much needs to be done to protect the basic rights of Indonesian citizens. We would like to highlight our human rights concerns.

Address the Problem of Impunity
Major human rights abusers go unpunished in Indonesia. One clear example is the failure of successive Indonesian governments to bring the late military dictator Suharto to trial for the roughly half-a-million to a million people who were killed in 1965. He was also never held to account for the death of around 100,000 East Timor people. This is one of the main reasons why impunity is a serious problem in Indonesia to this date.

Make Reform a Centerpiece of US–Indonesia military cooperation
US – Indonesia military cooperation should ensure the development of a professional security force in Indonesia and should be linked to bringing those involved in human rights abuses to face trial. Of special concern are recent attempts to engage the Special Forces group "Kopassus."

Request: Any US–Indonesia military cooperation should be linked to genuine security sector reform, including bringing a"Kopassus" officers involved in human rights abuses to trial. 

Stoning to death for adultery
A new Indonesian bylaw endorses stoning to death for adultery and canning of up to 100 lashes for homosexuality. This local Islamic Criminal Code was passed by the Aceh Provincial House of Representatives in September 2009.

Request: Urge the Indonesian authorities to repeal this law.

Release Political Prisoners
Indonesian authorities continue to use repressive legislation to criminalize peaceful political activities. Violations of this right are particularly severe in areas where there has been a history of pro-independence movements such as Maluku and Papua.

* Former civil servant Filep Karma and student Yusak Pakage are serving prison sentences of 15 and 10 years respectively for peacefully raising the Papua flag.

* In June 2007, 22 men were arrested in Maluku province for unfurling the "Benang Raja" flag, a symbol of South Maluku identity, after performing a traditional dance in front of President Yudhoyono. All have now been sentenced to jail terms between seven and 20 years.

Amnesty International considers the above "Prisoners of Conscience" and demands their immediate and unconditional release.

Request: We urge you to demand their immediate release before you arrive in Indonesia as a mark of good will. We are confident that President Yudhoyono will take your request seriously.

Protect Human Rights Defenders
We appreciate your recent meeting with Human Rights Defenders at the White House and urge you to highlight the protection of human rights defenders in Indonesia. We are concerned that the Indonesian legal system is being used to intimidate human rights defenders rather than to ensure that they are able to carry out their important work.

For example, human rights defender Usman Hamid is the subject of criminal defamation proceedings due to his involvement in the campaign for justice for the late Munir Said Thalib, who was murdered by poisoning in September 2004. In addition to Mr. Hamid, at least six other human rights defenders faced criminal defamation charges in 2009 for their work: Emerson Yuntho, Illian Deta Arta Sari, Gatot, Suryani, Dadang Iskandar, and Itce Julinar.

Request:
1) We urge you to press President Yudhoyono to ensure that human rights defenders are not targeted through criminal defamation suits or by any other means.

2) We also urge you to call upon the Indonesian government to identify those at the highest level responsible for Munir’s murder and publish the report of the fact-finding team.

Establish Complaint Mechanism for Police Abuse
Despite the current reform process to make Indonesian National Police more professional and respectful of human rights, criminal suspects living in poor and marginalized communities, in particular women and repeat offenders, are disproportionately targeted for a range of human rights violations.

Request: Urge President Yudhoyono to initiate steps to set up an independent complaints mechanism that can receive and deal with complaints from the public.

Prosecute Those Responsible for Disappearances
In September 2009, the Special Committee on Disappearances 1997–1998 of Indonesia's House of Representatives urged the government to create an ad-hoc human rights court to try those responsible for enforced disappearances.

Request: Urge the Authorities to take immediate steps to create an ad-hoc human rights court.

Allow Freedom of Religion
Blasphemy law: Several laws and regulations continue to be discriminatory towards freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Article 156(a) of Indonesian Criminal Code, enacted under a 1965 Presidential Decree, makes "blasphemy" a crime punishable by up to 5 years of imprisonment. Amnesty International is aware of at least eight people who are currently in prison under this law.

The Ahmadiyya community continues to face intimidation and attacks. In June 2008, a joint ministerial decree instructed the Ahmadiyya community to either declare that they are not Muslims or discontinue declaring their faith.

Christian groups also face restrictions on worship and evictions. In one case, at least 1,400 Christian students were evacuated from their Setia college campus in July 2008 when it was attacked by villagers allegedly linked to the Islamic Defenders Front. There have been no arrests in relation to the attack.

Request: Urge the Indonesian authorities to allow freedom of religion.

Mr. President, Amnesty International urges you to take this opportunity to ensure that steps are taken to improve human rights in Indonesia. While in Indonesia, we strongly urge you to speak publicly and meet with human rights defenders and families of victims, especially those civilians who were killed during the 1965 political turmoil. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Larry Cox – Executive Director

(Bersambung)

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