ABSTRACT
A major theme in the propaganda campaign against the PKI is that it has ‘betrayed the nation’. Proponents of this view point to the first major colonial uprising in 1926 and the so-called Madiun affair in 1948 as precursors to the events of 1965. In this chapter both the 1926 and 1948 affairs are discussed. In 1926/27 both communist Muslims and Muslim communists collaborated in the revolt against Dutch colonial power. The renowned Muslim leader, Haji Misbach, declared that a good Muslim could not accept usury and exploitation and encouraged collaboration with the PKI as the party most interested in social justice and resistance against exploitation. The Madiun affair in 1948 had its origins in internal political tensions that arose due to the reorganization of the army and must be seen in the context of the Cold War. This affair was short-lived and resulted in both Muslim and communist deaths. A much larger and potentially more dangerous rebellion was that of the various groups who wanted to establish an Islamic state in Java, Sulawesi and Aceh. This rebellion resulted in horrendous bloodshed and huge material loss. It lasted till 1962. Another rebellion against the unitary state was that of the PRRI/Permesta, in Sulawesi and Sumatera. In the dominant Indonesian historiography the two last rebellions are downplayed and do not result in the stigmatization of Muslim groups. The Madiun affair, on the other hand, is used to this day to stigmatize communism.
