Why an education project for Indonesian socialists?
Over the last 2 years the youth (students, workers and urban poor) in Indonesia have waged a relentless struggle against the Suharto dictatorhsip and his clone Jusuf Habibie. They have manifested time and time again their willingness to free themselves from oppression and capitalist exploitation This has expressed itself in mass demonstrations, strikes, pitched street battles, and land occupations in open defiance of state military power and the Jakarta central oligarchy.
Numerous activists have been wounded, killed, abducted and tortured. There has also been a constant ferment amongst the student youth, the workers and poor peasants looking for ideas and a correct program to take the stuggle forward. The myriad of committees, working groups, forums, fronts and parties (in particular the PRD) created in these years illustrate this. This situation has been described by an Indonesian newspaper as "a spring for left ideas".
The best of the students have also turned their efforts to help organising the workers, the urban poor and the poor peasants. Out of this experience some groups of youth have drawn the conclussion that the power to defeat the regime and change society lies in the hands of the 90 million strong working class in alliance with the poor peasantry. The students can play an important role in the movement but on their own, they have been unable to enforce their demands, like the abolition of the double function of the army. The students must be counscious of the need to ally themselves with the workers and must consider themselves as the youth wing of the workers movement. This will help to speed up the process of political clarification amongst the youth.
Thirst for ideas
The interest in marxism is undoubtedly very great in Indonesia. It is vital for the activists to take up the study of Marxism in a systematic way. But this must not be done in an abstract and academic way. The study of the theory has to be combined with active participation in the process of the class struggle.
The essential experience of the working class which mould their whole outlook is the day to day experience of exploitation on the work floor under the heel of the boss. By participating in the life, the struggle and the organisations of the workers the students will develop their revolutionary capacity to the full. At the same time they will see more concretely how the system of " wifungsie", KKN and political oppression is linked to capitalism itself and that poverty, unemployement etc. can only be overcome on the basis of a planned and nationalised economy under the democratic control and management of the workers themselves.
This will help the students to understand the struggle for democracy as an element - a central element - of the program of socialist revolution.
The so-called "reform" era which is entering in a new stage with the new "National Unity" governement of Gus Dur and Megawati is posing new political challenges for the movement. The governement has changed but the regime is largely untouched. The political reforms from the top are aimed at preventing a revolutionary movement from below. But democracy under a capitalist system in crisis can only be a farce. The bourgeois parliamentary system with strong elements of authoritarian rule can only be very unstable in Indonesia. The imposition of the IMF's recipies to restore profit margins for local and international capitalists will inevitably provoke mass reactions in which the regime will have to rely on a strong army and repression machine. Indonesia is one of the weakest links of capitalism in South East Asia. It will go from crisis to crisis. The struggle therefore has just begun. The masses will not wait long for the new governement to deliver their promises of change.
If the young generation of activists in Indonesia is to come victourious out of that struggle a clear and profound understanding of marxist theory, methods, program, strategy and tactics is needed.
A lot of marxist works are still unavailable for the activists in Bahasa Indonesia. The Indonesian Socialist Education Project, a platform of collaboration between Indonesian and European socialist youth and trade unionists wants to fill that gap. We want to appeal to all those who can help us in that task of politically rearming a generation of activists to contact us for the necessary translating and editing work (from English to Bahasa Indonesia) and financial support
Urgent financial support needed for the publication of material for political education.
The most recent document published in Bahasa Indonesia is probably the only modern marxist analysis of the state of the world economy available to activists since a very long time in Indonesia. ( Di atas mata pisau)
The document has been distributed through mailing lists and other networks mainly on the Internet. But we have been confronted with the insisting demand for a printed version of the document. But printing the document or copying it is very expensive for Indonesian activists. Few have acces to Internet or can pay for it.
That's why we have decided to bring out this document as a book so it can reach a wider layer of activists especially those in the workers and poor peasants movement.
We are also putting a great socialist classic at disposal of the activists. Lenin's State and Revolution will be now online with a reviewed translation and glossary. We also intend to distribute it as a book with a new modern introduction explaining its meaning for today. This is probably the first time that this work have been put in circulation since the massacre of 1965.
Other documents are also been prepared but its publication has been suspended by the lack of financial means.
A relatively small amount of money can make a big impact on the distribution of political education. $125 is enough to print 300 copies of a 100-page book.
So do not hesitate.
All financial contributions can be sent with checques payable to ISC (marked "for ISEP" at the back) to PO Box 2626, London N1 7SQ.
The following socialist education documents have already been published
Indonesia, Revolusi Asia Telah Dimulai - A political analysis of the events that led to the overthrow of the dictator Suharto after 32 years of power. It deals also with the consequences for the rest of Asia and makes proposasl for a socialist strategy.
Marxisme dan Perjuangan Melawan Imperialisme - A torough analysis of the mechanisms of imperialist domination over the so-called Third World and makes a critical appraisal of the different movements of resistance and social change in that part of the world since the Second World War.
Di Atas Mata Pisau - What happened to the Asian economic model after the financial meltdown of 1997. What are the chances for long lasting recovery taking into consideration the crisis of the worldeconomy.
Negara dan Revolusi - Lenin's great classical theoretical work which prepared the Russian socialists to take power of the capitalists in 1917. Now for the first time online since 1965.
You can contact ISEP via the following email adress: ISEP@mail.com