Literature in The New Order Era and Its Resistance Against the Regime

After the failed coup attempt on 30 September 1965, in which six senior army generals were killed by the so-called 30 September Movement, Major General Suharto quickly seized control of Jakarta and led a nationwide purge against communists, resulting in around half a million deaths and the banning of the PKI. As Sukarno’s power declined, Suharto gradually assumed authority, becoming Indonesia’s president in 1968. 

Under his rule, the New Order regime emerged—an authoritarian government built on military dominance and strict political control. Suharto’s administration relied on the armed forces to maintain order and suppress dissent, embedding military influence deeply within civilian life. While his American-educated advisers helped stabilize the economy, Suharto’s regime was marked by censorship, limited political freedom, and an extensive propaganda system that stifled opposition and preserved his power for over three decades.

Literature is a form of language art that expresses the author’s ideas, emotions, and reflections on social realities. Its themes often emerge from everyday experiences, making it a powerful tool to interpret political and cultural contexts. In times of oppression, symbols in literature can serve as forms of political resistance—criticizing government policies, expressing dissatisfaction, and uniting the oppressed. As Foulcher notes, “throughout most of the 1970s, creative literature in Indonesia was almost totally silent on the killings of 1965–66,” as such themes opposed the values of Suharto’s New Order regime.

Because literature mirrors both artistic and political realities, it becomes a valuable lens to understand society. During the New Order, literature was both suppressed and resistant. While the regime censored and silenced critical voices, many writers used allegory and symbolism to challenge authority, turning literature into a subtle yet powerful form of social and political defiance.

In 1958, Pramoedya Ananta Toer joined the People's Cultural Institute (Lekra), an arts organization affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which later led to his arrest without trial in 1969 and exile to Buru Island during the New Order era. His works were banned and used by the regime to justify accusations of manipulation against critical voices, even though, as Bonar stated, Pramoedya’s writings actually embodied nationalism and opposed feudalism. The official ban on his books, which were accused of containing communist ideology, was reinforced by Circular Letter Number 73106/Sekjen PDK/1980, based on MPRS Decree Number XXV/MPRS/1966 and MPR Decree Number IX/MPR/1978.

Ahmad Tohari's "Orang-orang Proyek"

Interestingly, unlike many other writers during the New Order, Ahmad Tohari’s novels were never censored or banned, even though his trilogy clearly depicted the cooperation between the army and paramilitary groups in the mass killings. While other authors suffered severe restrictions on their rights, Tohari managed to avoid direct suppression by carefully crafting his narratives so that they did not explicitly criticize the military, which allowed his works to flourish, gain praise, and be adapted into other artistic media. However, despite his caution, he was still accused of being a PKI member, interrogated for weeks over his novel Orang-orang Proyek, and only released after seeking help from Gus Dur, a reflection of how political suspicion overshadowed literary expression.

Nh.Dini

In addition to well-known authors like Pramoedya and Tohari, several other authors employed nuanced yet potent narratives to challenge the limits of Suharto's government. In works like Pada Sebuah Kapal, Nh. Dini, one of Indonesia's first female writers, described women's fight for identity and autonomy while subtly defying political and patriarchal norms.

Former political prisoner Putu Oka Sukanta, in the meantime, turned individual suffering into collective memory by documenting the suffering and tenacity of those silenced by the regime. Collectively, the works they created demonstrate how Indonesian literature overcame oppression by transforming survival into art and silence into coded truth.