Indonesian Textbook Narratives of 1965 Massacres (Suharto and Post-Suharto Eras)

SUMMARY

During the New Order era (1966-1998) under President Suharto, Indonesian official curricula and history textbooks are alleged to have minimized or omitted the 1965-1966 mass killings. This suppression is attributed to the Suharto regime's political control over historical narratives, particularly concerning events that led to its rise to power, such as the anti-communist purges. Research indicates that high school history textbooks from this period generally outlined the national movement but were shaped by the New Order's politics.

Following Suharto's resignation in 1998, the post-Suharto era has seen discussions around curriculum changes, though it is not yet clear how extensively these changes have addressed the representation of the 1965 massacres in textbooks. The overall lack of international attention to these killings, coupled with domestic suppression, has contributed to their minimized presence in educational materials.

CLAIMS

1. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

   The Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966 are skipped over in most Indonesian history textbooks.

   — attributed to: Wikipedia contributors

   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_mass_killings_of_1965%E2%80%9366
2. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

   The suppression of information about the 1965-1966 killings under the Suharto regime contributed to their lack of attention by Indonesians and omission from textbooks.

   — attributed to: Wikipedia contributors

   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_mass_killings_of_1965%E2%80%9366
3. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.90

   High school history textbooks from 1975 to 1998 during the New Order period outlined the emergence and development of the Indonesian national movement.

   — attributed to: A research study by UPY Repository

   • https://repository.upy.ac.id/3592/1/TURNITIN_The_Politics_of_History_%20Indonesian.pdf
4. CORROBORATEDCONF 0.90

   A qualitative study analyzed content of history textbooks to trace historical footprints of national identity discourses production during the New Order period (1966-1998), examining nine history textbooks.

   — attributed to: A research study by UPY Repository/ResearchGate

   • https://repository.upy.ac.id/4039/1/KronologiUnggahanArtikeldiJurnalHSE2022.pdf
   • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358820921_Politics_of_History_Indonesian_High_School_Textbooks_during_the_New_Order_period_1966-1998
5. VERIFIEDCONF 0.95

   Suharto used the term 'New Order' (Orde Baru) to contrast his presidency with his predecessor Sukarno's 'Old Order' (Orde Lama).

   — attributed to: Wikipedia contributors

   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Order_(Indonesia)
6. VERIFIEDCONF 0.95

   The New Order period lasted from 1966/1967 until Suharto's resignation in 1998.

   — attributed to: Wikipedia contributors, Britannica

   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Order_(Indonesia)
   • https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Order-Indonesian-history
7. SINGLE-SOURCECONF 0.80

   Curriculum changes in the post-independence era, including the Suharto era, were often viewed as a vital necessity, with the Suharto era curriculum intended to promote national development.

   — attributed to: Academia.edu article

   • https://www.academia.edu/10354514/Curriculum_Change_in_the_Post_Suharto_Era_State_Driven_Policy_in_the_Face_of_Competing_Perspectives

TIMELINE

• 1965Beginning of the Indonesian mass killings targeting alleged communists. [src]
• 1966Suharto rises to power, coining the term 'New Order'. [src]
• 1966-1998The New Order era in Indonesia, led by President Suharto. [src]
• 1975-1998High school history textbooks from this period are noted to outline the national movement. [src]
• 1998Suharto resigns, marking the end of the New Order. [src]

ENTITIES

• PERSON Suharto — Second President of Indonesia, leader of the New Order
• PERSON Sukarno — First President of Indonesia, predecessor to Suharto
• EVENT New Order (Orde Baru) — Political regime in Indonesia under Suharto (1966-1998)
• EVENT Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966 — Large-scale killings and civil unrest primarily targeting members of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI)
• ORG Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) — Primary target of the 1965-66 mass killings
• PLACE Indonesia — Country where events transpired

OPEN QUESTIONS — PENDING LEADS

• Which specific Indonesian official curricula documents or textbook titles from the Suharto era (1966-1998) contain minimal or omitted references to the 1965 massacres?
• What are the documented qualitative and quantitative analyses of how the 1965 massacres are presented or omitted in post-Suharto era (1998-present) Indonesian history textbooks and curricula?
• What specific efforts have been made by human rights organizations, historians, or educational reform advocates to challenge the narratives of the 1965 massacres in Indonesian textbooks, and what were the outcomes?
• Are there any declassified government directives or internal educational ministry memos from the Suharto era explicitly instructing the minimization or omission of the 1965 massacres in curricula?
• What impact have international bodies or academic collaborations had on the representation of the 1965 massacres in Indonesian educational materials in the post-Suharto era?

EVIDENCE — CAPTURED SOURCES

1. [WEB] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_mass_killings_of_1965%E2%80%9366 [archived]

   The killings are skipped over in most Indonesian history textbooks and have received little attention by Indonesians due to their suppression under the Suharto regime, as well as lack of international attention.

2. [WEB] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358820921_Politics_of_History_Indonesian_High_School_Textbooks_during_the_New_Order_period_1966-1998

   This study traced historical footprints of national identity discourses production through high school history textbooks. The main question is, what did the New Order's politics look like to the ...

3. [WEB] https://repository.upy.ac.id/3592/1/TURNITIN_The_Politics_of_History_%20Indonesian.pdf [archived]

   Generally speaking, all high school history textbooks from 1975 to 1998 outline the background of the emergence and development of the Indonesian national movement.

4. [WEB] https://www.academia.edu/10354514/Curriculum_Change_in_the_Post_Suharto_Era_State_Driven_Policy_in_the_Face_of_Competing_Perspectives

   In Indonesia in the post-independence era changing the educational curriculum, particularly the curriculum of citizenship education, has often been viewed as a vital necessity. In the Sukarno era (1945 - 1966), it was carried out to support the anti-colonial 'revolution'. In the …

5. [WEB] https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Order-Indonesian-history [archived]

   The New Order was a period in Indonesian history, from 1967 to 1998, led by President Suharto. Following a period of political instability and economic decline under President Sukarno, Suharto's regime focused on economic rehabilitation and political stability.

6. [WEB] https://123dok.com/id/docs/politics-history-indonesian-high-school-textbooks-new.10396718 [archived]

   The Politics of History: Indonesian High School Textbooks during the New Order period (1966-1998) Abstract This study traced historical footprints of national identity discourses production through high school history textbooks. The main question is, what did the New Order's poli…

7. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/indonesia/comments/61ed2m/what_was_indonesia_like_before_reformasi_and/ [archived]

   As a foreigner I lived Indonesia on and off form 1980s to 2005. One question that pops up here is how life was like during the Suharto era. For most people in Indonesia the Suharto period can be divided into two periods, the period before 1986 and after. 1986 marked the year that…

8. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/indonesia/comments/23xcz3/indonesias_education_system_is_one_of_the_worst/ [archived]

   One of the Indonesian government's responses to these findings has been to restructure the Indonesian curriculum, including postponing teaching science, geography and ENGLISH until students attend secondary school.

9. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/wikipedia/comments/zc0j97/the_indonesian_genocide_may_be_the_only_genocide/ [archived]

   The Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66, also known as the Indonesian genocide, Indonesian Communist Purge, or Indonesian politicide, were large-scale killings and civil unrest primarily targeting members of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). It started as an anti-communist …

10. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/polbeu/why_was_the_indonesian_military_dictatorship_so/ [archived]

    From 1965 to 1998, Indonesia was under a military regime. It's generally estimated millions of people were killed by the army then, mostly in the 1966 anti-communist purge or the genocides in West Papua and East Timor.

11. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/PropagandaPosters/comments/uaqbu/general_suharto_indonesia_the_land_the_communists/

    I can't remember if it was Sukarno or Suharto that offered to get LBJ an underaged prostitute when he visited Indonesia. Anyway, Suharto probably is responsible for one of the greatest acts of genocide in the post-WWII era in East Timor.

12. [WEB] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Order_(Indonesia) [archived]

    The New Order (Indonesian: Orde Baru, abbreviated Orba) was the regime of the second Indonesian President Suharto from his rise to power in 1966 until his resignation in 1998. Suharto coined the term upon his accession and used it to contrast his presidency with that of his prede…

13. [WEB] https://repository.upy.ac.id/4039/1/KronologiUnggahanArtikeldiJurnalHSE2022.pdf [archived]

    Abstract This study traced historical footprints of national identity discourses production through high school history textbooks. The main question is, what did the New Order's politics look like to the national history of Indonesia? The method used was qualitative research that…

14. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/indonesia/comments/ph99yv/under_suharto_era_how_was_the_socioeconomic/ [archived]

    I know what Suharto did to get his power (working with the CIA to perform the communinst/socialist/marxist purge, etc). But i want to know what he did to the country after he got his power. How was the socioeconomic, political and living conditions of people (Chinese, Indo, etc)?…

15. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/geopolitics/comments/a1jvba/any_good_books_on_indonesian/ [archived]

    It's the 4th most populous country in the world and has a very interesting situation of being a giant archipelago of religiously, linguistically, cultural and ethnically different islands. However, information on Indonesia post-independence and how the country operates now is fru…

16. [REDDIT] https://www.reddit.com/r/AlternateHistory/comments/n7ghxz/communist_indonesia_where_suharto_organized_g30s/ [archived]

    The coup was crushed soon enough, but then it was blamed on the communists, and General Suharto used this opportunity to take control of the country and start the mass-killings of 1965-66 (purges), and implement a dictatorship that would last until 1998, with himself as its leade…

CROSS-REFERENCE

• → SHARES-ACTOR CIA Knowledge and Support for 1965 Indonesian Massacres and Suharto Coup — Both reference Sukarno, Communist Party Of Indonesia Pki, Suharto
• → SHARES-EVENT US/UK Knowledge and Support for Indonesian Mass Killings (1965-1966) — Both reference Indonesian Mass Killings Of 1965 1966, Communist Party Of Indonesia Pki, Suharto
• → SHARES-ACTOR Indonesian Government Inquiries into 1965-66 Mass Killings and Foreign Involvement — Both reference Sukarno, Communist Party Of Indonesia Pki, Suharto