Indonesia Updates Criminal Code to Ban Communist Propaganda

The Chinese-funded Celukan Bawang 2 power plant in Singaraja on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Oct. 29, 2020. Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP via Getty Images

Indonesia has approved a new criminal code that includes a provision to ban communist and Marxist-Leninist propaganda, a move seen by experts as part of a general trend of global rejection of the Chinese communist regime.

The provision, passed on Dec. 6, stipulates that those who propagate communism and Marxism-Leninism can be sentenced to four to 15 years in prison.

According to Article 188 of the act, anyone who disseminates or promotes communism or Marxism-Leninism orally or in writing, including through any media, will face a maximum of four years in prison; if the above-mentioned acts cause social disturbances or property damage, the maximum sentence is seven years; if it causes personal injury or death, the person can be sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison.

“It is not accidental that Indonesia enacted this law,” current affairs commentator Qin Peng told The Epoch Times on Dec. 20. “It’s intended to contain and guard against the Chinese regime, which is the general trend of the world.”

He said that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) global expansion is becoming increasingly blatant, and has gained the attention of more countries. The number of people opposing the CCP in many countries also is increasing.

CCP’s Devastating Influence

In the early 1960s, the CCP supplied substantial funding and military equipment to the Indonesian communist party, whose membership once exceeded 2 million, historical data show. Zhou Enlai, then-leader of the Chinese communist regime, bragged to the international community that so many Chinese were living in Southeast Asian countries, once the CCP gave the order, they could change the countries into communist states overnight.

Zhou’s remarks triggered massive anti-Chinese riots in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia, where about 500,000 Chinese were killed between 1966 and 1967.

The Indonesian government also strictly prohibited Chinese language education because of the CCP’s claim. China and Indonesia severed diplomatic relations in 1967, which weren’t reestablished until 1990.

To this day, Indonesia still strictly prohibits the sickle, hammer, red flag, and other imagery that symbolize communism.

The Indonesian government has failed in recent years to lift the ban on communism in Congress in order to enhance relations with Beijing.

Qin said that although most countries are unwilling to directly and openly confront the CCP for economic or security reasons, more countries are guarding against CCP influence. In this way, the international space for the CCP’s large-scale foreign propaganda will definitely become more narrow, he added.

Li Yuanhua, a historian living in Australia, told The Epoch Times on Dec. 20 that the CCP’s foreign propaganda is focused on “telling Chinese stories well.”

“After the passing of the law, the regime should refrain from doing it overtly in Indonesia in the future. They dare not violate Indonesian laws,” he said.

ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi (R) and foreign ministers shake hands on stage at a summit between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) on the COVID-19 coronavirus in Vientiane, Laos, on Feb. 20, 2020. Dene-Hern Chen/AFP via Getty Images

Malaysia, another country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), also prohibits the promotion of communism.

Li said that Indonesia and other ASEAN countries have many economic and trade exchanges with the CCP.

“They only talk about economy with China, not politics, and the impact [of the criminal code] on economic exchanges will not be particularly large. Therefore, once this kind of law is implemented, the CCP can only remain silent about it.”

Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya contributed to this report.