“Don’t be silent but fight!”
The 805th Kamisan participants kept shouting that piece of sentence. They joined art performances, who used black color full dress. They covered the black clothes with white color cloth with a red-white headband. The theatrical performance aimed to show the failure of the state to protect democracy.
The symbolic performance also showed whistle-blowing and used yellow and red cards. All participants joined this performance. Also, they used hazard signs as a symbol to warn democracy violators to stop their acts.
The 805th Kamisan participants were relatives, friends, and whoever cared about Human Rights violation victims. Each of them delivered the oration, including their disappointment toward Joko Widodo’s decision, which implies supporting the Human Rights violator to win in the 2024 Election.
One of the protestants was Maria Catarina Sumarsih, a mother from Benardinus Realino Norma Irawan (Wawan), an Atma Jaya University student who died in the Semanggi I tragedy. She never misses coming to Kamisan. Sumarsih said there was discrimination against human rights defenders. They were forced to remain silent and received threats of criminalization even one day before the election.
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Sumarsih said some parties forced them to remain silent, criticize, and criminalize their act to stand up for human rights victims, even one day before the 2024 election. In addition, Sumarsih considered the absence of regime commitment and elite parties to guarantee the work of democracy and human rights. The settlement for human rights violations cases, in fact, hasn’t been solved for five years ago; it was only a pompous promise.
“Kamisan action is a way for us to endure and expose the facts, search for justice, fight for impunity, and refuse to forget about human rights violations actions. So, we don’t have any intention to support any candidates. We don’t trust their pompous promises after they lied to us for five years” Sumarsih delivered her oration in front of the presidential palace, in Jakarta on Thursday (15/02/24).
Dyta Caturani, human rights defender also joined the 805th Kamisan. She said people who joined Kamisan action were her friends who didn’t get justice.
“They are my degree or close friends. I am also a victim who had been violated, shot, and hit until I was unconscious at that time,” she said.
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Paian Siahaan, father of late Ucok Muhandar Siahaan, a victim of the forces’ disappearance in the May 1998 tragedy also joined the action to point out the irresponsibility of human rights violators. Prabowo Subianto, one of the candidates for the 2024 election involved in the 1998 tragedy. Furthermore, Jokowi was also lied to finish the settlement for human rights violations cases.
“If Prabowo wants to take responsibility for it, it will be finished, but he doesn’t want to. He was only obsessed with becoming president and becoming a candidate for three times. Currently, he got massive votes because Joko Widodo supports him. Joko Widodo invited us to the presidential palace to settle human rights violation cases. He also put it into Nawacita as his vision and mission, but it was a lie. He didn’t end it until his tenure and supported Prabowo.”
“We felt disappointed with his actions. We should unite to settle the cases of whoever becomes a president.” he continued.
Kamisan Action: The behind of story
The first Kamisan Action was held in front of the presidential palace on Thursday, January 18th, 2007, initiated by three family members of human rights victims. They were Maria Catarina Sumarsih, mother of Bernardus Realino Norma Irawan (Wawan), a student from Atma Jaya Catholic University who was shot in Semanggi I 1998 tragedy; and Suciwati, a wife from Munir Said Thalib, a human rights activist who was poisoned in 2004. In addition, Bedjo Untung was also joined as a representative from accused people of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) who were killed, massacred, and unprocedural imprisoned in the 1965-1966 period.
At first, they had an organization called Victims Solidarity for Justice Organization –Jaringan Solidaritas Korban untuk Keadilan (JSKK). After two years, they initiated the Kamisan action. According to its name, Kamisan was held every Thursday in Jakarta or other cities. The identity of Kamisan’s action was black clothes and an umbrella.
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In Jakarta, Kamisan action was held at 3 – 5 pm. The rundown started with a silent demonstration in front of the presidential palace for 30 minutes and continued with a short oration from some action participants.
The action responded to the government’s neglect of settlement for human rights violations cases, such as the Semanggi I and II tragedies in 1998. Next, this action was wider to cover human rights cases after and before 1998.
The Kamisan action targeted four institutions, which were the president who established presidential decree regulation, The People’s Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR) as an institution that issued the president’s recommendation letter; the National Commission on Human Rights and Attorney General’s Office as investigator institution. Nevertheless, their main target was the president because he had the authority to make decisions during ad hoc court according to regulation no.26/2000.
They demanded the president to give a positive and factual response to finish the settlement of human rights violations cases. That would be the evidence of upholding human rights justice in Indonesia.
Sumarsih: Kamisan Action with love for her son
Sumarsih was insinuation and blasphemy not only because of her involvement in Kamisan’s actions but also because of the accusation that someone paid her. Maria Catarina Sumarsih was Wawan’s mother. He was a semester five student from Atma Jaya Catholic University who was shot by apparatus in the Semanggi I tragedy on 13th November 1998 while he joined the Humanity volunteer team.
He was shot while helping someone who was hurting, whereas he already waved the white flag as a sign. The bullet hit his left chest. Sumarsih came to Cipto Mangunkusomo Hospital but Wawan already passed away.
The tragedy traumatized Sumarsih’s family, and when her family could return to their normal activities, Sumarsih only felt sad and continued to pray. She thought she needed to do something in the end.
The tragedy was a reason for Sumarsih to join Kamisan’s action with other victims’ families. They have been taking action since 2007 and have sent letters to the president, from Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Joko Widodo. The action has been continued until today.
Kamisan Action Misunderstanding: It is not every five years agenda; it has been 17 years
Kamisan action became a topic during the election of 2024 on the Internet. Many people accused it as a five-year agenda only. Yet, Kamisan action has been run for 17 years and was not only in Jakarta but 60 cities in Indonesia. Another opinion was that Kamisan Action only wanted to overturn one candidate, which was Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The idea came because there was a presumption that Prabowo Subianto was fired not because of his involvement in human rights violations. In addition, Kamisan’s action was considered a conspiration act to overturn Prabowo Subianto in the election of 2024. Cheryl Tanzil, a politician for the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) raised this issue in TV One.
“I wanted to quote late Munir when he talked in public that Prabowo was fired not because it related to the May 1998 tragedy. This is conspiration politic. I want young people to learn about Indonesia’s history and they won’t vote for dishonest candidates.”
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In addition, Kamisan’s action also got another negative comment during the 805th action on 15th February 2024. This comment came from Darwis Triadi, a senior photographer in Indonesia. He commented on Sumarsih’s photo when she held up a red card during the 80th Kamisan action in Harian Kompas’s Instagram post.
“Enough, the election is already finished, we are waiting for the result. You need to accept it, don’t make a fuss about it. don’t let other people force you into this situation, stop it” he commented.
Darwis’s comment considered he didn’t know the meaning of Kamisan action, although he was a photographer. Some people felt disappointed with his action even after he deleted his post.
Discussion with Darwis Triadi about Kamisan Action
Darwis Triadi’s comment about Kamisan’s action gained public curiosity. So Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) Jakarta invited him to a discussion on 18th February 2024 through AJI’s Instagram post. But Darwis Triadi never responded to it.
The idea came from Muhamad Iqbal, external relations division in AJI Jakarta. “We sent him personal chat through direct message on Instagram but no response,” Iqbal said to Konde.co, Tuesday (20/2/2024).
Furthermore, Iqbal said that his initiative aims to counter the current narration that belittles Kamisan’s action and other cases of human rights violations.
Iqbal and his team already expected that Darwis wouldn’t come to the invited discussion, but they would welcome him if he came.
“The event is a public discussion; it will be in Q&A format. If Dawis comes, it will be interesting, the audiences can ask him directly and we can understand his comment’s motive in Kamisan action,” said Iqbal.
Iqbal also conveyed that he planned to create other campaign methods to respond to Darwis’ comment.
Remembrance to Forgetful Nation
Making Indonesians remember the forgetful history, including the historical tragedy involving authority parties, was a challenge.
“Do not need to remember the tragedy in the past decade, in fact, almost all Indonesians already started to forget the Kanjuran tragedy,” said Iqbal.
Authorities and parties led the narration of history in Indonesia. Yet, some alternative narrations are voiced by oppressed groups who refuse to forget. Kamisan action was one example from this movement. It was voiced by oppressed groups but used during the election, nevertheless, Iqbal said it didn’t mean Kamisan action was useless.
“This movement aims to raise public awareness. It forces people to remember and suppress the government,” he said.
“Although authorities’ parties are sometimes trivial, the consistency of the action can suppress the government. In addition, the most crucial thing is the solidarity for victims and families. It is a chance for them to get moral support from the public.”
(Translated by Theresia)
