This week in history: July 26-August 1
25 July 2021
Megawati Sukarnoputri
On July 27,1996, Indonesian government forces attacked the head office of ousted Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) leader Megawati Sukarnoputri. The military junta used thousands of riot police and troops to put down protests by her supporters. The clashes were the most serious in the capital since President Suharto and his fellow generals seized power in the bloody coup of 1965.
Megawati was removed as PDI leader at a party congress orchestrated by the Suharto regime. Hand-picked delegates replaced her with Suharto’s nominee, former PDI leader Suryadi. The military moved in as the protests surrounding the PDI offices threatened to generate a wider movement involving industrial workers, sections of the middle class and university youth.
Subscriber Exclusive
First Jim Crow. Now SB 2020. In Georgia, voter suppression has always been a concern for Black voters
Since the mid-1800s, Georgia’s voting laws have worked to suppress Black voters and by extension other disenfranchised groups.
Raisa Habersham, Savannah Morning News
Published
4:43 pm UTC Apr. 1, 2021
The first time Bettye Berksteiner s parents tried to vote, they were told they were at the wrong precinct.
It was 1948 and their first attempt was at a church roughly eight blocks from their home. Once there, Lucy and James West were told their names were not listed. The couple was sent to a second location.