Academia
Valuing truth in a democracy means treating all citizens equally and respectfully, because each person is owed an equal measure of basic respect.
Posters featuring ousted Indonesian Democracy Party (PDI) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri adorn a desk on July 31, 1996, in the sacked PDI headquarters. (APF/File Photo/John MacDougall)
Thirty years ago, a brave woman, the daughter of the founding father Sukarno, stood up for her democratic rights. In the face of violent authoritarian attacks on many fighters for democracy and humanity in the bloody tragedy of July 27, 1996, Megawati Soekarnoputri took the path of law and non-violent struggle against the perils of authoritarianism. She followed “the Gandhian tactic,” as Time reported on June 21, 1999.Thirty years later, she feels sad, as the specter of authoritarianism is haunting Indonesia again. Today, she is building a monument named as Kudatuli, the popular acronym for Kerusuhan Dua Puluh Tujuh Juli (July 27 riots), as a proper way of remembering the dark history of that human tragedy, with a bold message: “We never forget.” History is not to be forgotten, but to be learned from in developing the founding fathers’ ideals of democracy.
