Intelligence chief warns of provocation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State Intelligence Coordinating Body chief Lt.
\nGen. (ret) Moetojib called on the public Saturday to be wary of
\nany attempts by groups or individuals to make waves before next
\nyear's presidential election.<\/p>\n
The People's Consultative Assembly will convene to elect a new
\npresident and adopt new state policy guidelines next March.<\/p>\n
Moetojib said that the interest groups that have tried to
\nunconstitutionally change the country's political system would
\nnot stop until after the presidential election.<\/p>\n
\"Or maybe they won't stop until they achieve their target,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
When pressed to name one of these groups, Moetojib named the
\nDemocratic People's Party -- an obscure organization whose core
\nleaders have been jailed for subversion.<\/p>\n
Nine PRD leaders were sentenced in April to between 18 months
\nand 13 years in jail for subversion. PRD's chairman Budiman
\nSudjatmiko received the stiffest sentence because the court found
\nhim guilty of discrediting the New Order government under
\nPresident Soeharto and rejecting the Armed Forces' sociopolitical
\nrole.<\/p>\n
But Moetojib refused to say whether there were any disgruntled
\ncurrently employed or retired officials involved in
\nunconstitutional activities.<\/p>\n
Post-election political tension has generally died down but
\nrumors of impending riots persist in East Java. Authorities there
\nsaid Thursday that they had heard rumors that riots would start
\nsimultaneously in Madura, Jember, Situbondo and Pasuruan on July
\n7.<\/p>\n
These are all United Development Party (PPP) strongholds and
\nhave already seen violence this year in the form of clashes
\nbetween PPP and government-backed Golkar supporters.<\/p>\n
\"All of us are part of the big Indonesian family. So why do we
\nattack each other and burn each others' property?\" Moetojib
\nasked.<\/p>\n
Moetojib said interest groups worked by fanning people's
\ndissatisfaction with the political system to a point at which
\nthey were ready to resort to violence.<\/p>\n
He cited as an example the Tasikmalaya riot last December,
\nwhich was started with a rumor that a teacher from a nearby
\nMoslem boarding school had been tortured to death by police. The
\nrumor proved false.<\/p>\n
Moetojib said people should realize that Indonesia was a
\nmulti-ethnic country with diverse cultures that could be
\nexploited to create chaos.<\/p>\n
\"We are many ethnic groups living on thousands of islands,
\nwith different religions and traditions,\" he said. \"We do not
\nwant riots ever again. It is the people's responsibility to help
\nprevent violence,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Many Indonesian cities have been affected by politically and
\nreligiously motivated riots in the past few months.<\/p>\n
In Java the cities of Situbondo, Tasikmalaya and
\nRengasdengklok were badly hit this year as were the West
\nKalimantan capital Pontianak and nearby Sanggau Ledo. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/intelligence-chief-warns-of-provocation-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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