Anarcho-syndicalism In Indonesia

Anarcho-syndicalism does not have a long history in Indonesia. It's left is dominated by reformist-electoral Marxists. Despite this an Indonesian Anarcho-syndicalist movement has cropped up to engage in serious activity. The organization which represents this movement is

Persaudaraan Pekerja Anarko Sindikalis (Anarcho-syndicalist Comradeship of Workers). Recently it helped organize the K.U.M.A.N union movement which participated in and organized a strike of Uber workers in the country. As expected the Indonesian government has taken a repressive approach to the Anarcho-syndicalists.
The latest form of repression was for the Indonesian government to declare the Anarcho-syndicalists a threat to the state and blame them for the actions of teenage insurrectionist Anarchists who caused property damage. In addition to the repressive government the Anarcho-syndicalists also have to deal with reformist and bureaucratic unions. These unions, like similar unions all around the world, are based on controlling workers and supporting the paid bureaucracy, rather than workers organizing for their interests. During May Day 2018 members of  the KSPSI reformist union attacked Anarcho-syndicalists present at a demonstration.

The Indonesian example illustrates what states and bureaucratic unions will do when confronted with Anarcho-syndicalism. Anarcho-syndicalism means organizing a movement to overthrow capitalism which means overthrowing the capitalist state and replacing bureaucratic-reformist unions with revolutionary unions. To protect their existence, the state and reformist unions must fight the Anarcho-syndicalist movement tooth and nail where it exists. This is one of the reasons why building an international Anarcho-syndicalist movement is critical.

A worldwide movement can provide support to Anarcho-syndicalists facing repression and reaction in a particular part of the world. For this reason Anarcho-syndicalists have organized a go-fund me campaign to help the militants of PPAS in their time of need. Supporting them means supporting the international Anarcho-syndicalist movement, thus helping to build that movement and make it more successful. It also means supporting Anarcho-syndicalists in a part of the world subject to colonial oppression.

Capitalism has worked to centralize profitable industries and military might into western countries like the United States. States that are not as powerful as major western nations such as Venezuela control some profitable industries (oil in the Venezuelan case) and have more power than the "peripheral" nations. These nations are those in the global south such as Indonesia. They don't control the most profitable industries and have nowhere near the geopolitical power countries such as the United States and it's NATO allies have. This allows countries like the US which control leading industries to dump those industries when they loose a large percentage of their profitability (for instance as a result of the commodity they produce becoming more widespread, or being outstripped by more cutting edge commodities) on to "third world" countries like Indonesia. This economic situation has been created by a practice called colonialism where western countries accumulated capital and military strength by invading and taking control of third world countries like Indonesia which was formerly controlled by the Dutch.

Even though these countries have generally gained the status of independent nations, the economic and political power remains with the former colonial mother countries. An example of the continuing legacy of colonialism in Indonesia was the Suharto regime. Western countries including the United States backed the coming to power of a military dictator in Indonesia, Suharto. In the nearly 20 years he was in office he carried out a massive genocide of Indonesian people. Yet the United States continues to boast as the bringer of democracy to the world and a beacon of freedom.

It is vital for the Anarcho-syndicalist movement to extend to countries under the boot of the neocolonial world order. Without liberation from the legacy of colonialism the liberation of the world working class is impossible. If you can spare, both myself, and the people of PPAS would appreciate any money you can give to the campaign. All power to the Anarcho-syndicalists of Indonesia!

Bibliography: World Systems Analysis An Introduction, I. Wallerstein, The Trials Of Henry Kissinger, Eugene Jarecki, Christopher Hitchens, Alex Gibney