Those Who Lost and Were Uprooted

Kompas/Rini Kustiasih

A farmer works on hisrice field in Buru Island, Maluku, on Wednesday (5/4). Buru Island is now one of the food barns of Maluku, due to its abundant rice production. Before the arrival of political prisoners accused of colluding with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), the islandwas a jungle. Their arrival (1969-1979) has transformed Buru Island into a productive agricultural area. Now, most residents depend on rice farming.

“…a handful of foreign journalists have tried to discredit the political prison on Buru as an Indonesian version of a Digul, or a concentration camp. They seem to forget that, as history has shown, wars always bring consequences to those who lose.” (Soeharto, as quoted by IG Krisnadi in Buru Island Political Prisoners)

Battles among political elites have always resulted in common people suddenly realizing that they are on the losing side. Even without clear knowledge about what had transpired and what their exact roles had been, these people who lost were forced to face various risks, including the deprivation of basic rights.