It was quite surprising for anyone who reads history, who has followed the trajectory of the Indonesian regime, and who has been involved in the people's movement, when President Prabowo Subianto – in a convincing tone – said he wanted to make Marsinah a national hero.
Oddly enough, he did not have the courage to explain what Marsinah struggled for, why she was tragically killed and who was behind her murder. Even stranger, it came from the mouth of Prabowo, who lived in the circle of the New Order military power.
32 years ago, Marsinah – a female worker who dared to fight injustice against workers' rights – was kidnapped, tortured and killed by the military regime and its capitalist henchmen. Not because of any wrongdoing, but because of her courage in demanding her rights and fighting oppression. She was killed because the regime was afraid of workers who are conscious and resist!
This was a real class conflict for Marsinah and her fellow fighters. Experiencing exploitation and oppression by the East Java watch making company PT Catur Putra Surya (PT CPS) – which backed the authoritarian New Order regime – Marsinah and the workers went on strike.
They demanded wage increases and overtime pay calculations according to the relevant ministerial decree, adjustments to menstrual leave and minimum wages, the provision of health insurance and the involvement of workers in labour insurance, payment of maternity leave and several other rights, particularly job security in the face of intimidation and threats of dismissal for striking workers (Supartono, 1999). However, the climax if this upheaval was the disappearance of Marsinah in the midst of the mass strike and demands.
On Wednesday, May 5, 1993, Marsinah, who intended to sue the company and District Military Command (Kodim) in court, left for a moment to look for food. However, she never returned alive (Supartono, 1999). Three days later, on May 8, 1993, Marsinah's body was found cold and in a heartbreaking state.
Image building and manipulating history
Basically, what President Prabowo conveyed to the mass of workers gathered at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta for a May Day rally on May 1, was a form of symbolic expression or image building aimed at creating a certain narrative among the public, especially the mass of workers.
An effort that can be seen as an attempt to approach or reconcile the relationship between workers and the government. And remember also President Prabowo wants to pin the title of national hero on his former father-in-law president Suharto, as a symbolic form in politics with the same goal of reconciling relations, but this time with supporters of the New Order, as well as his actions as an effort to legitimise the economic stability, security and nationalism of that era.
The move is also to gain or strengthen his support base, especially among workers. We criticise the actions taken by President Prabowo because it is not merely to acknowledge the contribution and struggle of workers by giving the title of national hero to Marsinah, but an effort to gain support from workers, and also because on the other hand, giving the title of hero to Suharto is contradictory, because Suharto was known as the authoritarian leader of the New Order who was known to have committed many gross human rights violations.
Honouring female labour activist Marsinah and authoritarian New Order leader President Suharto, without evoking the collective memory of the ordinary people and providing substantive justice for the victims and prosecuting the perpetrators of violence is merely a formality to gain support and seems to legitimise the violence committed by the New Order era government. The government should encourage legal efforts to realise substantive justice and encourage the resolution of past human rights crimes involving workers as victims and government officials as perpetrators.
What the government is doing will only reproduce the historical wounds of the past because there is no attempt to acknowledge or take responsibility for the crimes that have been committed, confusing the younger generation with vague and manipulated historical narratives. Giving the title of national hero to an authoritarian leader who committed many human rights violations will only strengthen impunity, as if a figure with a bad track record like President Suharto could still be considered heroic.
It is only right that someone who fought for justice and human rights like Marsinah should be respected and become a role model for everyone. However, turning a blind eye to the events that befell her without a clear and just legal process is merely an image-building exercise, and further strengthens impunity for perpetrators of human rights crimes. And an authoritarian leader of the New Order who committed crimes against humanity like Suharto should not be respected by being given the title of hero.
Marsinah's death not in vain, her struggle continues
Marsinah's tragic death was a consequence of the struggle of the working class who dared to consistently demand and fight for workers' rights. But that does not mean that the terrible tragedy that befell Marsinah should make us afraid and no longer dare to firmly fight for what should be our right.
So, on the 32nd anniversary of Marsinah's death today, we, the Labour Movement with the People (GEBRAK) are not here to mourn – we are here to continue the struggle against the system that killed Marsinah and millions of other workers. We are here to continue Marsinah's tenacity, struggle and resistance against this brutal system. We are here to fight to realise a decent life for all working people. Learning from Marsinah's tenacity, the fire of resistance must continue until the shackles of the working class are gone, for a better world – a world of equality without exploitation. Victory is surely on our side.
Based on this GEBRAK demands:
1. Thoroughly investigate Marsinah's murder by the New Order military regime.
2. Revoke the Omnibus Law on Job Creation and its derivative government regulations, fight the storm of layoffs, and pass the pro-worker labour bill.
3. Provide certainty and decent work guarantees for workers!
4. Enact the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT) now, legal guarantees for domestic workers are absolute!
5. Implement genuine agrarian reform: land and agricultural technology for small farmers!
6. Arrest, prosecute and imprison the human rights violating generals!
7. Disband the Indonesian Military's (TNI) territorial command structure!
8. Cut the budget for the Ministry of Defence, the National Police, the Attorney General's Office and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
9. Confiscate military business assets! For education, health and public subsidies.
10. Reject the military entering campuses, factories and villages! Reject the military interfering in civil affairs! Return the military to the barracks!
11. Reject the contract labour system, outsourcing, internship work systems and fake partnership system for online motorcycle and taxi drivers.
12. Protect female workers, stop harassment and violence in the workplace, immediately ratify International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190.
13. Implement affordable and quality child day care, provide lactation rooms for female workers.
14. Guarantee and protect the rights of migrant workers, fishers and maritime workers – immediately ratify ILO Convention 18.
15. Give the right to form trade unions to all workers, including state civil servants (ASN).
16. Impose sanctions on all employers, factories and companies that violate labour regulations.
17. Abolish partnership relationships, recognise a formal worker status for online motorcycle, taxi and courier drivers.
18. Provide the right to free education without online student loans.
Organisations that are part of the GEBRAK alliance:
Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) Confederation, Confederation of United Indonesian Workers (KPBI), National Trade Union Confederation (KSN), National Labour Movement Centre (SGBN), Banking Trade Union Communication Network (Jarkom SP Perbankan), Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), Progressive Students School (SEMPRO), Indonesian Students Union (SMI), Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMID), Free Women (Perempuan Mahardhika), Indonesian High-School Students Federation (FIJAR), Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), United People's Struggle (KPR), Indonesian Workers Federation of Struggle (FPBI), Food and Beverage Trade Union Federation (FSBMM), Independent Trade Union Federation (FSPM), Industry Workers Federation (FKI), Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI), Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), Greenpeace Indonesia (GP), Trend Asia (TA), Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Jentera Indonesian College of Law Student Executive Council (BEM STIH Jentera), Campus Employees Union (SPK), Amartya House, Sedane Labour Resource Centre (LIPS), Indonesian Revolutionary Education Committee (KRPI), Indonesian Healthcare Workers and Medical Employees Trade Union (KSPMTKI), Socialist Union (PS), Resistance Jakarta, Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN) and the People's Liberation Party (PPR).
GEBRAK statement commemorating 32 years since the death of Marsinah at the hands of the New Order regime.
Contact persons:
Sunarno (Konfederasi KASBI), +62 812 8064 6029, Ilhamsyah (KPBI), +62 812-1923-5552, Martin (KPR) +62 857 6175 4198, +62 811 1313 760, Isnur (YLBHI) +62 815 1001 4395
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Marsinah, 'Pahlawan Buruh Indonesia', Dibunuh Militer! Usut Tuntas Kejahatan Kemanusiaan Rezim Militer Orde Baru!".]