Editorial: Freedom Should Not Be Taken for Granted
Activist and poet Wiji Thukul, who has been missing since 1998, has sacrificed himself for the benefit of the country. He is one of the reasons why Indonesia has been able to transform itself from an authoritarian polity to a democratic nation. Because of this, we all owe him dearly.
However, in the post-reform era, we seem to take our freedom for granted, and forget about the sacrifices of human rights fighters like Thukul and Munir Said Thalib and many others who have fought for justice.
We forget to question who should be held responsible for the disappearance of Thukul, or who was behind the murder of Munir. We forget to put pressure on the authorities to investigate their cases.
As a nation that boasts about its civility, religiosity and humanity, it is a shame that we continue to pretend nothing has happened in our past. We preserve impunity even until now. Fortunately, voices of conscience have started to emerge.
A young generation now finds new inspiration from Thukul's poems and uses his works to protest against injustice.
Last month, a group of young people held the Asean Literary Festival, a Southeast Asian gathering of writers. The festival awarded the missing poet the Asean Literary Award, the first of its kind in the region.
In his speech at the festival's opening ceremony, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa also recognized Thukul's contribution to the society. This was the first official recognition of the poet's contributions to Indonesia. We hope that such recognition by the public and government will help put an end to impunity in this part of the world.
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