Rebel outlines ‘invasion’ plan
Maintaining that it has valid reasons to ganyang Malaysia, Bendera’s leader reveals details of its planned invasion on Oct 8. Should we be worried?
JAKARTA’s forestry department was the most unlikely place to meet an Indonesian man who was six days away from waging a war against Malaysia.
But that was where my Indonesian journalist friend Samiaji Bintang brought me for a face-to-face interview with Adian Napitupulu, a 38-year-old Batak man spearheading a vigilante group that has vowed to ganyang (crush) Malaysia.
As we headed for our lunchtime appointment with Adian, the leader of Bendera (Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat or People’s Democratic Defence), I asked Samiaji how far the meeting place was from where Adian’s vigilante group conducted their “sweeping” of Malaysians.
“It is about 10km to 15km away,” said the 32-year-old journalist.
Hostile sweep: Bendera’s vigilantes, armed with sharpened bamboo sticks, blocking a road to search for Malaysians in Jakarta on Sept 8. – AFP
Far enough, I thought.
On Sept 8, a dozen Bendera vigilantes clad in red and white (the colour of the Indonesian flag) and armed with sharpened bamboo sticks set up roadblocks at Menteng in central Jakarta and checked ID card of passers-by to screen for Malaysians.
They failed to net any Malaysian.
On Friday afternoon, when most Indonesians were focused on the double earth quakes that devastated Sumatra, Samiaji and I entered one of the government buildings in the forestry department to locate Adian, who was in Regina Putera Cafe.
I did not know what to expect – a man carrying a sharpened bamboo stick, perhaps?
Outside the café at a Starbucks-like table sat three Indonesian men. I gave my business card to all of them, not knowing who was who. Adian turned out to be a skinny dark-skinned man wearing a white shirt and jeans.
“When was Bendera founded and what is its purpose?” were my first two questions as I wanted to gauge the hostility of the leader of the group that plans to invade Malaysia on Oct 8.
Adian: ‘If 26 million Malaysians keep silent about other Malaysians abusing Indonesians, then they are all jahat’
Speaking in Bahasa Indonesia, Adian, a member of PDI-P (Megawati Sukarnoputri’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle), said he founded Bendera two and a half months ago during the Indonesian presidential election as he found that political parties did not fight for the people’s rights.
“What has your fight for the people’s right got to do with Bendera’s ‘sweeping’ of Malaysians on Oct 8?” I asked.
“We were ‘sweeping’ Malaysians because (the Malaysian government) is ‘sweeping’ Indonesians in Malaysia,” said the man who was not involved in the Menteng ‘sweeping’ as he had other nationalistic duties on that day.
“We only managed to ‘sweep’ for 30 minutes because the police stopped us,” he added.
“What would you have done if you had managed to find a Malaysian that day?” I asked.
“Suruh pulang (tell them to go home),” he said as he smoked Djarum Super, a kretek (clove-flavoured) cigarette.
“Why did your men carry sharpened bamboo sticks?” I asked.
“It is the symbol of Indonesia’s independence struggle (from their Dutch coloniser),” he said.
When I asked if he had planned to use the bamboo stick on any Malaysian citizen that day, he replied: “We would only use it in Malaysia.”
He was referring to Bendera’s announcement – which was widely reported in the Indonesian and Malaysian media – that Oct 8 is their D-day to avenge all the wrongs committed by Malaysia against Indonesia.
Adian then gave me Bendera’s four-page war declaration with the bold headline “GANYANG MALAYSIA!”
The declaration stated that the Rentcong Aceh, panah Papua, Pedang Pattimura, mandau Kalimantan, keris Jawa, kujang Sunda, golok Betawi, badik Palembang and pedang Sisingamagaraja (Indonesian traditional weapons) had “bloodily” vowed to crush Malaysia’s arrogance.
It also listed several reportedly recalcitrant actions by Malaysians that have exhausted the patience of the people of Indonesia. The list included claiming Indonesian islands (Sipadan, Ligitan and Jemur); stealing Indonesian cultural heritage (food like rendang, songs like Rasa Sayang Sayange, Injit Injit Semut, Burung Kakak Tua, and Anak Kambing Saya, and the Pendet dance); and abusing Indonesian workers (it named 34 people including Nirmala Bonat who was abused with a hot iron, hot water and a metal cup by her employer in 2004).
“How’s your plan to attack Malaysia?” I asked.
Six weeks ago, according to Adian, 10 Bendera spies slipped into Malaysia to build a network among Indonesian workers. He claimed these Indonesian James Bonds managed to convince 1.45 million Indonesians – maids, construction and plantation workers – to burn their workplace when Bendera launches its confrontation on Malaysia.
When I pointed out that it would cost Bendera about RM145,000 just to text message the 1.45 million Indonesian workers (assuming the spies have all their phone numbers and an SMS costs 10 sen), Adian flashed his crooked teeth. “We’ve got our ways to communicate,” he stated.
“On paper, we have already won,” Adian said, again flashing his crooked teeth.
In World War II, according to him, the allies required two months to prepare for their attack on Germany. But Bendera does not need two months as it already has 1.45 million conspirators in Malaysia.
“That is why we have a different view from President SBY (pronounced as ‘ess-bay-yay’, the initials of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono). SBY said Indonesia cannot attack Malaysia as there are 1.8 million Indonesian workers in Malaysia. But for us the 1.8 million people are our strength to attack Malaysia.”
And then Adian started attacking Malaysia by showing the photographs (in the four-page declaration) of Indonesian maids being abused here.
“Look at this,” he said, pointing at the photograph of Nirmala.
“If Malaysia says that Malaysians and Indonesians are satu rumpun (the same stock), then why do they abuse their own rumpun?”
Pointing at a photograph of a man being caned, he asked angrily: “Why does your police, soldier and what do you call… Rela… abuse Indonesians?
“Do you know that once in three days an Indonesian is abused in Malaysia?”
On Oct 8, Adian claimed, about 300 Indonesians – trained in ilmu kebal (black magic) which makes them invincible to sharp objects and bullets – would invade Malaysia by attacking Malaysian towns in the island of Borneo (where Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Malaysia’s Sabah and Sarawak are located).
“From Pontianak (in Kalimantan) we will cross to Kuching (in Sarawak) and capture it. And then we will go to the next town. And from Nunukan (in Kalimantan) we will cross to the next town,” he said.
“What is that town?” I asked Adian, Bendera’s war strategist.
“I don’t know the name. But it is the town that we are going to capture,” he declared.
(Just for the record, the closest Malaysian town to Nunukan is Tawau in Sabah.)
In six to eight months, he confidentally predicted, Bendera would conquer Kuala Lumpur.
“Why don’t you just go straight for the jugular and attack Kuala Lumpur?” I asked.
“Uncle Mao’s military tactic was to first capture villages and then the city. We will capture your villages, your towns and eventually your capital,” he explained.
“What is your image of Malaysians?” I asked Adian who has never visited Malaysia.
“Jahat (evil),” he said.
“All 26 million Malaysians?” I asked.
“If 26 million Malaysians keep silent about other Malaysians abusing Indonesians, then they are all jahat,” he explained.
“How do you feel now that you are face to face with a Malaysian?” I asked.
“Mukanya baik. Mukanya lucu. Mukanya tak ada niat jahat (Your face looks nice. Your face looks humorous. Your face doesn’t show any evil intention),” he said, smiling while the handful of Indonesians who were intensely listening in to the interview burst out laughing.
“Are you Malaysian?” asked Poltak Sitanggang, 42, who owns a news website and had just finished interviewing Adian.
“Yes,” I said.
“Why don’t we ‘sweep’ him?” Poltak suggested to Adian.
“No, he is a funny guy,” Adian said.
I continued to smile.
And Adian continued his verbal tirade against on Malaysia.
“Malaysia has exported two terrorists (Noordin Mat Top and Dr Azahari Husin) to Indonesia. And yet the international community think that Indonesia is full of terrorists,” he said.
“Is it correct to say that the Indonesian government has not arrested you because it thinks your invasion plan is just omong omong kosong (empty talk)?” I ventured.
His face turning angry, he said the police had occupied Bendera’s headquarters (which was formerly used by Megawati’s PDI-P as their base).
He said he had received intimidating phone calls from people who have the power to intimidate. Others called to warn that attacking Malaysia was suicidal.
But he just switched off his phone when he received such calls, he said.
When told that an Indonesian Embassy official in Kuala Lumpur had said Bendera’s plan to invade Malaysia was “too ludicrous to respond to officially”, Adian said that was what the embassy thought.
“But they don’t know as it is not the Indonesian government which will invade Malaysia but Bendera.”
“So what are the chances of your group succeeding in its invasion plan?” I asked.
“In 1998, Suharto (the former Indonesian president) did not believe the students could make him step down. But it happened,” said Adian, one of the student leaders who had organised mass street protests against Suharto.
Poltak, a Batak, said he interviewed Adian because he was curious about the nationalistic views of the former student activist who had made a name for himself during the fall of Suharto.
“I’m not gila (crazy),” said Adian. “We have good reasons to attack Malaysia. Only crazy people attack (another country) without any reason.”
By PHILIP GOLINGAI
The Star
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