Deliberation of state emergency bill to end<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Amid mounting protests, the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) came closer to finishing on Tuesday the
\ndeliberation of the state security bill.<\/p>\n
To further improve the wording of the bill, the House's
\nspecial committee in charge of the bill deliberation met with
\nMinister of Defense and Security\/Indonesian Military (TNI)
\nCommander Gen. Wiranto, who sponsors the draft law.<\/p>\n
Muslich of the United Development Party suggested changing the
\nphrase \"threats to state sovereignty\" to \"threats to people and
\nstate sovereignty\" in order to give a clearer context.<\/p>\n
The idea, however, was rejected by the floor. \"The term
\n'state' already contains the government, people and territorial
\nelements,\" said Rudy Supriatna of the Armed Forces faction.<\/p>\n
Wiranto agreed, saying: \"Let us not pit elements of the
\ngovernment or people against each other. The bill is intended to
\nprotect the state, which also means the people.\"<\/p>\n
There were no major obstacles in the deliberation as all
\nrepresentatives of the four factions in the House agreed to pass
\nthe bill on Thursday, the day before the present 500 House
\nmembers effectively end their terms.<\/p>\n
Committee chief Agus Muhyidin of Golkar earlier ruled out the
\npossibility of delaying the bill's endorsement. He met with
\nGolkar party chairman Akbar Tandjung on Monday night, when he
\nreported the progress of the deliberation.<\/p>\n
The House will be on a one-week recess until its new members
\nare sworn in on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
Objections to the bill kept coming in from outside the House
\non Tuesday.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, Central Java, about 100 students of Semarang's
\nWalisongo State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) staged a
\nprotest on their campus on Tuesday rejecting the military-
\nsponsored security bill.<\/p>\n
\"Once the bill is enacted, the military will be free to
\ninterpret any occurrence as a state of emergency. So the military
\ncould raid, arrest or abduct people in the name of state
\nsecurity,\" M. Nadzir, the group coordinator, said.<\/p>\n
The Central Java chapter of the National Mandate Party (PAN)
\njoined the chorus of contention on Tuesday. The newly elected
\nsecretary of the PAN faction at the provincial legislative body,
\nTjipto Subandi, said his office had planned to issue a petition
\nopposing the bill's enactment.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, the capital of East Java, 500 students from
\nvarious universities protested in front of the provincial
\nlegislature, demanding a halt to the bill deliberation and the
\nmilitary's dual role.<\/p>\n
Guntur, a representative of the Anti-Militarism Movement (GAM)
\nstudent group, said the military would make use of the bill to
\njustify its return to politics.<\/p>\n
\"The military anticipates a deadlock in the General Session of
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). It will invoke the
\nstate security law to seize power,\" said Guntur, who is on a
\nhunger strike with four of his friends.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, local police used
\nforce to push hundreds of university student demonstrators out of
\nthe provincial legislative council. The students were protesting
\nthe bill.<\/p>\n
Student coordinator, M. Isra Magassing of HMI-MPO, a wing of
\nthe Indonesian Muslim Students Association, said the nation was
\nsuffering from an uncertain sociopolitical climate.<\/p>\n
\"It's like a ship which has lost its direction,\" Isra said.<\/p>\n
The rally was initially peaceful, with local councilors
\nreceiving the students for a brief talk. It later turned violent
\nwhen police arrived to disperse the students.<\/p>\n
Some students jumped over the council's fence, while others
\ncould not escape the police batons.<\/p>\n
Separately, another group of protesters protested the bill in
\nfront of the town's military command.<\/p>\n
The students accused the military of orchestrating a series of
\nriots which rocked the country over the past two years.<\/p>\n
They said the bill would justify military intervention in
\ncivilian affairs.<\/p>\n
In his address to House Commission I for security and defense
\non Monday, Wiranto said the growing opposition to the bill
\nstemmed from people's \"lack of understanding of the contents of
\nthe bill\".<\/p>\n
\"It's like somebody who is offered a cookie, but saying no
\nbefore tasting it, ignoring the fact that the cookie is
\ndelicious,\" Wiranto said. (05\/30\/edt\/har\/nur)<\/p>",
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