‘Annus Mirabilis’

KUM

J Kristiadi

In 1666, a terrible event took place. The city of London was hit by a plague and a huge fire, which led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people. In 1967, John Dryden, a politician and poet, commemorated the tragedy by writing a poem titled “Annus Mirabilis” (a happy year) because he was confident and optimistic that the great calamity could be overcome. Moreover, the title of the poem was also deliberately made to contradict the actual condition so that the public would not be anxious and in despair.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been taking place for almost two years, and gradually, the government is starting to bring it under control, thanks to the support of all parts of the community. This success, while we are still in the middle of the journey, shows that the signs of a remarkable year, annus mirabilis, are starting to appear. The policy on public activity restrictions (PPKM) in the last few months has succeeded in controlling the virus so that starting on Wednesday (22/9/2021) there are no more regencies or cities on Java or Bali that are under level 4 restrictions.

However, the success is still partial. A strong effort is needed to encourage people to really comply with health protocols. Public awareness is an important factor, considering that many medical studies state that Covid-19 cannot be eliminated, suggesting humans have to live with the disease.

This half-way success is like a double-edged sword. One of its blades had made the economy begin to move and public optimism grow. The other sharp part, public anxiety about the future of national leadership consistency, is related to the 2024 General Election. The public will expect that the leadership elected in the 2024 election be capable of controlling the pandemic, that leaders are strict, consistent, have excellent competence and stamina, will not create dilemmatic policies or long-term uncertainty and will reform the bureaucracy.

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Public uncertainty has caused some groups to advocate for an extension of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo\'s tenure in office. In the perspective of political pragmatism, the idea can be understood. However, based on the experience of many countries that have experienced crises, leaders who are elected through shortcuts and ignore people\'s voices fall into the puddle of power without limit. It is certain that the process of power accumulation will swell and opportunists who are hungry for power will surround the ruler. The figure who was originally considered "the savior of the nation" becomes the helmsman steering towards the people\'s apocalypse.

The experiences of President Sukarno and President Soeharto must be used as a lesson. Soeharto, the central figure who was able to crush the 30 Sept. movement, stepped down from his position in a "tragic" way. It seems that Jokowi, who is aware of the bad consequences of political pragmatism, firmly and consistently rejects the idea.

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

A mural related to the events of the September 30th Movement (G30S PKI) at the corner of Jalan TB Simatupang, Jakarta, Wednesday (1/10/2015).

Apart from the signs of the appearance of a happy year, in September it is also necessary to reflect on the “civil war” caused by the 1965 uprising. A tragedy of humanity as a result of the brutal struggle of ideologies divided people through blind fanaticism that sparked dark energy with amazing destructive power. The exact number of victims is not known, but valid estimates of the death toll range from 300,000 to 500,000 people. It was a very terrible year, annus horribilis.

This collective memory needs to be refreshed, not to wallow in the dark pain of the past but to learn lessons so that similar tragedies do not happen in the future. This is because, ahead of the 2019 Presidential Election, political adventurers tried to awaken hatred against certain groups by showing the anticommunist propaganda film “Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI”, spiced up by hateful rhetoric and spreading anxiety. In fact, the political power of Communism-Marxism has been destroyed.

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Political regimes that ruled for decades, since the late 1980s, have been torn apart in Eastern Europe, Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Romania, and even the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. In 1991, the Soviet Union, a superpower, was torn apart into 14 countries. As a doctrine, Marxism-Communism is outdated, antiquated and finished, but as a philosophy, it still exists, even though it has lost its relevance and validity. Some argue that the 20^th century\'s crucial attack that resulted in the death of international communism was triggered by the collapse of the Indonesian Communist Party in September 1965, followed by the decline in the strength of the Vietnamese communist movement in 1975.

Memorabilia, memories, both happy and sad, need to be maintained so that they can lead to a better life in the future. Political struggle is often likened to a struggle of memories against forgetting, as warned by Milan Kundera, "The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." Through memories that make a sane mind, accompanied by hard work, it is important for the Indonesian people to have hope to welcome the appearance of a happy year or annus mirabilis, while this annus horribilis disappears.

J KRISTIADI, Senior Researcher, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.