Live and Let Live!
A Red Indonesia
"We live in order to struggle, and we struggle in order to live. We live not just for the sake of life alone; we live to defend that life with courage till our hearts cease to beat. From the moment that a human being is born, from his first whimper as a baby to his last breath, life is a struggle. Sometimes he will face a struggle that is very difficult, sometimes he will face a hard-fought battle. Not every such contest is crowned with victory. But the aim of life is to have the courage to enter this hard-fought battle and at the same time win the victory. This is the dream of everyone who struggles. This too is my dream of life. For without dreams, without ideals, life is barren and empty."- Sudisman
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BREAKING NEWS: KAMARUZAMAN SJAM KILLED IN CAR CRASH
“He was a friend and fellow party member who fought for the workers”- Dipa Nustara Aidit, Chairman of the Communist Party of Indonesia
“Sjam was a good man who helped me through tough times”- Muhammed Hatta Lukman, Leader of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Indonesia
“We often fought over politics and morals but I will always miss that man”- Njoto, Senior National Leader of the Communist Party of Indonesia
“The loss of a brother does not mean the end of the journey”- S
oekarno, First President of Indonesia
“The world was changing and we were changing with it. Now we live in a world far different from anything Bung Karno or the communists imagined.” -Ahmad Yani, Minister/C
ommander of the Indonesian Army
Who Was Kamaruzaman Sjam?
Kamaruzaman Sjam was a key member of the Communist Party of Indonesia before his death during January 20th, 1974. Records show that he was born in a coastal town in Eastern Java named Tuban. During his later teenage years, he went to an agronomy school in Surabaya. After the Japanese invasion of Indonesia, he was forced to abandon his studies after the school closed down. He decided to move to Yogyakarta, a large city in central Java to attend business school. There, he took place in several rebellious activities against Japanese rule.
After the independence of Indonesia, he joined the Socialist Party of Indonesia. He was sent to Jakarta where he learned about Marxism/Leninism from a group of western scholars. He helped organize a union of workers during the 1940's. During 1949, he finally left the socialist party for good to join the Communist Party of Indonesia.
During his time in the communist party, he joined the organizational department of the communist party. He was rather interested in topics such as intelligence, espionage, and the military. Files and transcripts show him supporting a secret agency made to gather information on the military and the Soekarno government. To this day, we have no idea what he would do if he gained the army's popularity. It is also important to note that rumors of death lists by the army were rather extensive at this time. Whether or not his death was truly an accident remain unknown.
-Faces of the Revolution by Dr. Joshua Oppenheimer
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Hi, this is my very first timeline exploring a world where the Communist Party of Indonesia gains power until they manage to pull of a somewhat successful coup. The point of divergence is based on the theory that Sjam was responsible for the failed 1965 coup of Indonesia which was blamed on the communists and resulted in them losing power. The ripple effect will send waves across the world resulting in a very different Vietnam war and 70's.