Commie Superman (Not the actual toy sold in Yogyakarta). Photo: Infinite Hollywood.
Communism is an extremely sensitive topic in Indonesia, to say the least, so when the military in Yogyakarta found out there were toys with communist symbols being sold that could potentially indoctrinate innocent Indonesian children, they immediately took action.
The District Military Command (Kodim) in Bantul, Yogyakarta, said they raided several toy stores in the city and found imported toys from China that contained communist symbols.
In total, Kodim confiscated 27 toys with Soviet Union flags and hammer and sickle symbols.
Lieutenant Colonel Kavaleri Tumadi, commander of the Bantul Kodim, said the toy sellers weren’t guilty of trying to brainwash children with communism as they, by and large, weren’t entirely sure what communism actually is.
“But we’re worried that the symbols could be attractive to our children over time. If that happens, then the [communist] ideals could enter their minds,” Kavaleri said, as quoted by Vivanews yesterday.
Kavaleri called on officials to be more vigilant in importing toys and other products, especially from communist countries like China.
Communism is still a taboo topic to discuss in Indonesia. Recently, organizers at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali had to cancel events discussing the 1965 Indonesian massacres after pressure from the government and authorities. The Indonesian government still doesn’t acknowledge responsibility for the murder of more than half-a-million people whom they labeled communists or communist sympathisers between 1965 and 1966.
