THE HISTORY TO REMEMBER

THE HISTORY TO REMEMBER

 

Indonesia with its spirit and power rapidly becomes a big nation. The history keeping the struggle of Indonesia people to reach their freedom is always live as a national identity. But, the history is not always about good story. The bad one usually comes with no invitation and prediction. 

Indonesia with all astonishing histories also has the worst history following its development as a country. And what I mean maybe also known by you is about Indonesia Communist Party’s (PKI) Movement on September 30^th 1965 or better known as G30S/PKI.

G30S/PKI (Gerakan 30 September PKI) was the rebellion which was planned and run by PKI with a big purpose to take over the power and to change Indonesia’s national ideology from Pancasila to Communist ideology. PKI with Colonel Untung – Mr. Soekrano’s hand- utilized the good relation with Mr. President Soekarno and lied to Soekarno indirectly to run their plan. But there were several Generals from Indonesian Army who knew PKI’s vicious intention.

The bad thoughts and plans of PKI had been known by those Generals for a long time. And those generals with their intelligent and power tried to prevent and cut every step which was planned by PKI. The other side, D.N Aidit, PKI’s leader, knowing the generals’ resistance on their movement had a plan to get rid their opponents off of their way. PKI which had been influenced communist ideology wanted to kill them all.

The day was coming. On September 30^th 1965, dawn of the day, The operation leading by Colonel Untung from Air Force commanded Tjakra Birawa troops – the president's secret service- to kidnap seven generals and take them all to Lubang Buaya – The location of generals’ murder. 

Lieutenant General Ahmad Yani, Lieutenant General MT. Haryono, and General D.I Panjaitan were The generals who were killed in their own home and witnessed by their family. While, Lieutenant General R. Soeprapto, Lieutenant General S. Parman, General Sutoyo were taken alive by the troops. And the main target Lieutenant General A.H Nasution successfully escaped from this plan because his squire/guard Captain Pierre Tendean manly pretended that he was Nasution.

Once kidnapping, all generals were murdered. 

The day after that day, General Soeharto tried to fix and solve the bad condition. He took an empty position of army power. After successfully took over Republic of Indonesia Radio (RRI) from PKI’s troops, General Soeharto and Lieutenant General Nasution announced to the public that they were in control and would rule an operation to break the case. He then appointed Colonel Sarwo Edhy as a RPKAD commander – The elite troops of Indonesia army (currently known as KOPASSUS)- to lead the operation to quell PKI’s movement.

Finally, the truth would be win. After a little battle with the counter-revolutionary forces, the condition was in control and getting better by the good side. All PKI’s leaders escaped and ran to several cities.

On October 3^th, the bodies of all victims of this movement were discovered. They were thrown into a deep hole. The evacuation was done by Navy troops (KKO) and then all victims were buried with a special honor on October 5^th precisely in Indonesia Army Forces Day. A.H Nasution gave his national speech to explain the rebellion of PKI and to raise the public’s spirit to fight on every communist ideology which grew in Indonesia.

Right now, after 20 long years, a film describing the cruel of PKI’s Movement in September 1965 is allowed to be played again to the public by instruction of Mr. President Joko Widodo. He wants all people especially the youth were born in millennial generation to know and learn about this history. And the main purpose of this instruction are to remember all revolution heroes becoming the victims and to strengthen the unity of Indonesia, also to understand and prevent the dangerous of communist ideology which is still spread by some groups. 

So then, The point is that Pancasila always becomes Republic of Indonesia's main ideology and never be replaced and changed by anything. 

Do not forget our history!

One Nation, One Pride

One Nation, One Pride

Red describes a courage, and White describes a pureness. Those both colors were blended to be the basic side of our symbol, our spirit and our struggle. The hard fight, blood sacrifice, and tears which never stop getting down are appropriate descriptions to know how Indonesia People took their freedom back from colonies. Our freedom is never made by a giving surely as despicable as our noisy neighbor country (Aisyalam) but by fighting and sharing struggle in a whole region of country.

Once Indonesia revealed their independence day on August 17^th 1945 by reading proclamation text, our nation immediately became one of the biggest countries in the world below our founding fathers leadership Mr. President Soekarno and Mr. Vice President Moh. Hatta. Furthermore, in several years later we were called as The Tiger of Asia. We all can’t deny how good Soekarno’s diplomatic strategies and approaches are with several leaders in other lands.

But, a few last years, Indonesia looked like having no power any longer. We aren’t feared anymore by other nations as good as the past. I don’t know exactly what causes which made this, and which a correct answer is. Other nations which have a good and fast growth or we were getting a decline of national development? Maybe the answers have been known exactly by us. The biggest problem we had is about corruption. Yup, actually Indonesia is a rich nation, having not only various cultures, but also many languages, ethnics, and religions. We also have many precious natural resource, and good human resource but honestly there are also so many bad people who abused the position and power to enrich themselves, their group and family. 

Indeed, corruption has been our first enemy in this country for last several years. We must commit to stop it by resisting this bad behavior living in this country starting from ourselves, family to other people. We can’t pretend that this is not a big problem, and this circumstance is still okay then realizing that apparently this sickness is the first factor that makes a destruction for our development. The people and government must conceive then issue strict rules to restrict a chance for anyone who wants to do corruption. 

Another phenomena which is happened in Indonesia currently is hoax and SARA contents that appears in social media and have a big potency to break our harmony among fellow citizens. Furthermore, these contents have become a new business for people who abuse the advance of high technology. Basically it looks not dangerous as bad as the corruption but apparently it will become a big problem if we don’t concern about this. So that, our president Mr. Joko Widodo commanded to cut these threats seriously by making social movement with tagline Mentality Revolution and I am Indonesia, I am Pancasila to unite Indonesia. 

Actually, everyone knows that we can bring back our glory as like as the past time and so do I. We should realize that in fact, we are a big nation, and rich country. We must be united again. Just stop stealing nation wealth, stop bullying each other, and start thinking and acting positively to rise and get our pride. All of you guys must not be having an intention to continue some bad things growing in our country and neither do I. 

Keep our nationalism and kinship between you and I well as good as it should be. Just reminding about our national heroes who were dead in battlefield to give us a freedom. We just need to keep our freedom by making our country better and bigger in future. So much so that we show to the world who we really are as a big nation.

Come on, we are absolutely able to do it. Unity in Diversity. Together we are stronger. 

Long life Indonesia Raya!

Naik's Effect

NAIK’S EFFECT

In these past several days, Indonesia had been visited by one of the influential preacher -Islamic Missionary- in the world and Alhamdulillah Makassar became the last city he visited exactly on this day. The news about his visit was reported massively in social media but it looked like nothing in big media and National TV. There were many reactions of his visit, some people rejected him by accusing he would bring the hatred in every lecture. But in fact, people greeting happily him were so many. Every visit in every city must be attended by a thousand people. It showed that the difference appeared between people’s enthusiasm and what media shared.

You may have known him. His name is Dr. Zakir Naik who is from Mumbai, India. He started doing his first lecture about Islam in 1991 with basic knowledge based on Salafi and comparative religion. As we know, his influences spreading the message of peacefulness of Islam have been accepted by many people rapidly and strongly in a whole world. 

People can attend his lecture directly to ask and to argue what they think about Islam in particularly or about the God and religion in generally. For your information, he really loves non-Moslems to come to his lecture and he always gives the privilege for them who want to get more explanation about Islam. But if you can’t be there, you can watch his video on internet. It’s available so many.

So, why does he get so famous and so influential? In my opinion, one of the reasons is that he is the most logical preacher in this era who can explain Islam message clearly and logically to the people who want to know more about Islam with his analogies and examples. As we understood as a Moslem in the same way that to be a true and good believer, we just need to believe in Allah (God) and do what He ordered to us without doubt and giving many questions logically and asking the answers logically. 

We just need to have a strong faith and gain much knowledge to improve and strengthen our faith and not to weaken it. He copied Einstein’s quote which said “Science without religion is lame. And religion without science is blind”. So, if you want to find it both, find it in Quran. Like the first guidance given by Quran is “Iqra” which means “Read it!”. That’s it.

But, some people who have a different religion with Moslems or are an atheist even a Moslem itself usually asking their hesitation also the logical question and statement to figure out the truth of the meaning of the creations, God, and this universe. It’s normal for people that still look for their guidance (Hidayah) and want to acquire their faith unanimously. 

We have to respect them and help them to gain the knowledge and their faith on Islam sooner. Because maybe they will be a better person than us in the future. So that’s why Naik, who has a title in Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, is there.  The capacity and knowledge Naik has is so appropriate and good to answer the questions those people gave and even effecting the questioner to turn becoming a Moslem. 

Several questions people asked to him the most were such as who creates Allah (God)? and why did Allah create us?. Actually, Those questions had ever appeared on my mind also, and I just got the “logical” explanation from him that made me more doubtless to live in this beautiful life and found out what all the meaning of life. 

His answer for the first question is that Allah (God) was never created by anything, because He is the greatest one that exists before anything else. He is the Dzat creating everything and not a creation. According to the Quran that He (Allah) was never born and never delivery anything. And the next answer is that Allah wanted to give “the Test” to us in this life (universe) that makes us becoming His greater creation than the angles if we can pass it well or becoming His worse creation than the animals if we forget about what we must do in this life. So, the decisions are in our hand and our heart. 

Naik said that before we came into this life, we had already chosen and promised to Allah to become a human and to obey His commands. So that, it is all of our mistakes if in this life we don’t still follow His rules, deny His orders, and forget our promises with Him while His signs about the truth which is brought by Islam have been announced everywhere. 

It’s all perfectly clear.

Because of that, it’s not a weirdness if Naik with his study and lecture is loved by million people, His videos have been watched for a million times and people, many people get more interested to conceive about Islam, and there were many people who already revealed Syahadat consciously as the requirement to enter a whole Islam which gives a witness of believing that there is no God but Allah and believing Prophet Muhammad is the final messenger and servant of Allah by his guidance. Just imagine how influential he is!

Starting his lecture by 1991 and still spreading the message of Islam, with his good ability in several languages especially in English to dialogue, it’s not impossible that his effect can affect and reach more and more people out to get the explicit truth. Without disrespecting the other preachers in a whole world particularly in my country Indonesia which has many good Ahlus Sunnah preachers such as Ust. Dr. Khalid Basalamah, Ust. Yazid bin Abdul Qadir Jawwas, and Ust. Dr. Syafiq Basalamah and many more, I think Naik is also the good one. 

The last point I want to tell is that I am really happy also because of him who is also as a founder of Islamic Research Foundation and Peace TV Network, Islam has been spread more massive and his effect has made a big and good change to this world. Hope we can follow his way to learn and to spread Islam to the others.

Jazaakallahu Khoiron Ustadz Dr. Zakir Naik!