New wave of protests target plan on communism<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The capital witnessed the second consecutive
\nmassive street rallies by thousands of Muslim youths on Friday to
\nprotest President Abdurrahman Wahid's plans to revoke the ban on
\ncommunism in the country and to resume trade ties with Israel.<\/p>\n
Some 5,000 protesters, belonging to the Indonesian Islamic
\nFront (FUII) and claiming to represent teachers, preachers,
\nstudents and other elements of the Islamic community from the
\ngreater Jakarta area, took to the city's streets demanding that
\nPresident Abdurrahman cancel his controversial plans to abolish
\nthe decree of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) that bans
\nthe spread of communist ideology in the country.<\/p>\n
A similar wave of at least 2,000 protesters from different
\ngroups also hit Jakarta streets a day earlier with the same
\ndemands.<\/p>\n
MPR decree No XXV\/1966 was issued following the abortive
\ncommunist coup in 1965, known locally as the G-30-S movement.<\/p>\n
The protesters, dressed in Islamic garments, staged a rally at
\nMerdeka Palace after attending Friday prayer at nearby Istiqlal
\nGrand Mosque.<\/p>\n
Along the way, the protesters chanted their demands, rejecting
\nthe return of communism which advocates atheism. They also
\ndenounced Zionism which Mohammad Haike, one of the coordinators
\nof the protest, said was the root of communism.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators burned an Israeli flag in front of the
\npalace as a reflection of their opposition to Zionism.<\/p>\n
Haike said seven protesters were received by palace security
\nchief Brig. Gen. Aritonang who promised to deliver their message
\nto the President after he returned from his trip to Central Java.<\/p>\n
Another FUII spokesman, Bernardus Dony Abdul Jabar, said they
\nwould stage another street protest in a week's time if the
\nPresident did not back down on his plan.<\/p>\n
\"We will go to the MPR\/DPR (House of Representatives) compound
\nto make sure that our voice is heard and the plan to revoke the
\ndecree is canceled,\" Jabar said.<\/p>\n
Jabar explained that there had been indications of a communist
\nrevival in Indonesia. \"There is no way that communism could make
\na comeback in Indonesia,\" he said, alleging that \"some advisers
\nto Gus Dur have leftist tendencies\" and mentioning the fact that
\nthe President refused to spend much time with members of a group
\ncalling for a jihad in Maluku on Thursday.<\/p>\n
After an oration in front of the palace, the protesters
\nmarched to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle -- a landmark for
\nstreet gatherings for protesters and political campaigners --
\nwhere two of them climbed the Welcome statue and burned a red
\nflag bearing the famous communist \"sickle and hammer\" symbol.<\/p>\n
Jabar said he was optimistic that the demand would be
\nsupported by Amien Rais, the MPR speaker, and other major
\npolitical parties such as the National Awakening Party (PKB) and
\nthe Islamic-based parties.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra's provincial capital of Medan, about 500
\npeople went to the local City Council to voice similar
\naspirations. The was a combination of 300 FUII members and 200
\nuniversity students.<\/p>\n
They deplored Gus Dur's policy and plan to lift the ban on
\ncommunism and to set up trade ties with Israel. The students, in
\nparticular, demanded that Gus Dur resign from office if he dug
\nhis heels in.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mochtar Pabottingi and Dewi Fortuna Anwar, both
\npolitical observers from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI), said the government should wait for about five years to
\nrevoke the decree in order to calm the tense political situation.<\/p>\n
Mochtar said many sides had attacked the government's proposal
\nand had made known their disappointment about the absence of the
\ngovernment's serious actions in handling the numerous problems
\nthe nation was facing.<\/p>\n
\"If the political and economic conditions are conducive, the
\npeople will listen to the government's reasons behind its
\nproposal,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Dewi Fortuna said the decree's revocation should be postponed
\nbecause the majority of the people were still disturbed by the
\n1965 abortive coup by the banned Indonesian communist party (PKI)
\nand that many communist figures who were involved in the coup
\nwere still alive.<\/p>\n
Mochtar and Dewi Fortuna said the government should leave it
\nto the people to decide whether they followed communism or not
\nbecause it was their right to do so. (06\/39\/rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/new-wave-of-protests-target-plan-on-communism-1447893297",
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