Student protesters march backward against Gus Dur<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Day-to-day rallies may waste energy, but not the
\nbrain as hundreds of people returned to the streets on Thursday
\nto make various demands.<\/p>\n
About 1,000 Muslim students from a number of universities and
\nacademies in Jakarta marched backward from Al-Azhar Mosque in
\nSouth Jakarta to the House of Representatives building to add
\npressure for President Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid's resignation.<\/p>\n
When they arrived at the House after their about three-
\nkilometer walk, dozens of women activists in traditional kebaya
\nblouses and sarongs were acting as jamu (herbal medicine) and
\nJavanese cookie vendors. The activists, who were celebrating
\nInternational Women's Day, said they had come to heal the
\ncountry's ailing political elite.<\/p>\n
The Muslim students said they were sending the President a
\nmessage that it was just as easy for him to step down as it was
\nfor them to reach the House.<\/p>\n
\"We're giving the President an example of how easy it is for
\nhim to resign,\" said Andi Rachmat, chairman of the United Action
\nof Muslim Students (KAMMI). He was holding a banner which read
\n\"Gus Dur, mundur sajalah\" (Gus Dur, just step down).<\/p>\n
Andi said Gus Dur should resign for the sake of the country.
\nMuslim students across Jakarta, he added, no longer stood behind
\nthe President because of his government's failure to carry out
\nsweeping reform.<\/p>\n
\"The nation has been under a serious threat of disintegration
\nsince many instances of bloody unrest have erupted in many
\nregions, with the latest hitting Central Kalimantan,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In their meeting with People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
\nSpeaker Amien Rais, the students said the President had lost the
\nHouse's political support as demonstrated by its memorandum of
\ncensure against the President last month over his alleged role in
\ntwo financial scandals.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, a resignation is the best face-saving choice for
\nthe President in order to save the country from disintegration,\"
\nAndi said.<\/p>\n
In his reply, Amien applauded the students concern over the
\ncurrent political uncertainty and said the President should not
\nforce himself to carry out the heavy presidential tasks.<\/p>\n
In their protest, the woman activists packed the House lobby
\nwith various posters and banners condemning members of the elite
\nfor caring more about power than people.<\/p>\n
They carried the jamu in bottles and used political terms to
\nname the medicine, for example \"potion to heal corruption,
\ncollusion and nepotism\" and \"formula to fight militarism\".<\/p>\n
In a meeting with the women, some legislators were forced to
\nsip a glass of the jamu, otherwise the protesters, led by human
\nrights activist Yeni Rosa Damayanti, prevented them from leaving
\nthe meeting room.<\/p>\n
Anti-Golkar<\/p>\n
Separately, hundreds of youths staged a demonstration at the
\nAttorney General's Office, demanding the dissolution of the
\nGolkar Party, which they accused of protecting corrupt figures of
\nthe past regime.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators said Golkar should not be given a chance to
\nsurvive in the reform era because of the pivotal role it played
\nin the government's oppression of people for three decades.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar's claim of new paradigm has been proven a lie because
\nit has kept within its ranks corrupt officials of the past,\" said
\nKomaruddin, chairman of the University of Indonesia Student
\nAction Forum (FAM UI).<\/p>\n
Outside the capital, over 4,000 people rallied on Thursday to
\nshow their support for Gus Dur around an intersection in Majenang
\ndistrict of Banjarsari, Central Java, near the border with West
\nJava.<\/p>\n
The demonstration caused heavy traffic congestion, with
\nvehicles queuing for two hours to leave or enter the town. The
\nqueue of vehicles reached 10 kilometers.<\/p>\n
Apart from locals, the people came from Cilacap in Central
\nJava and Ciamis in West Java.<\/p>\n
They prayed and staged a public speech in downtown Alun-alun
\nSquare before marching to the intersection.<\/p>\n
Their demands included the dissolution of the Golkar Party,
\nwhich they accused of betraying the nation.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the demonstrators, Ahmad Murtado, said the
\nrally was held in response to a planned student rally at Halim
\nPerdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta upon the arrival of the
\nPresident from his overseas trip in the wee hours of Thursday.
\n(45\/rms\/dja)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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