Students groups demand Wiranto's resignation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Student groups in several cities staged rallies
\non Thursday demanding Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen.
\nWiranto's resignation over the uncurbed violence in Maluku that
\nhas so far claimed the lives of at least 166 people.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of Muslim students grouped in the Indonesian Muslim
\nStudents Action Front (KAMMI), the Muslim Students Association
\n(HMI) and Muhammadiyah Students Association (IMM) among others
\nlashed out at the military for allowing the violence in the
\nMaluku capital of Ambon and its surroundings to escalate.<\/p>\n
In Bogor, West Java, around 1,000 students of the Bogor
\nInstitute of Agriculture (IPB) said they were giving Wiranto
\nthree days to solve the conflict.<\/p>\n
\"If he fails to meet that deadline, we will demand that he
\nrelinquishes his post as Armed Forces Commander,\" student leader
\nAly Yusuf said.<\/p>\n
The Bogor students accused ABRI of dragging its feet on
\npurpose in order to further certain interests. The inaction, they
\nsaid, had caused Indonesians to become suspicious of one another
\nand to live in fear and restlessness.<\/p>\n
This had also given birth to \"killers\", they went on.<\/p>\n
The students also lashed out at the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of
\nViolence (Kontras), the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute and other
\nnon-governmental organizations which had so far turned a blind
\neye to the unrest in Maluku.<\/p>\n
\"Now, if those organizations had certain political interests,
\nthey would work hard, and provide accurate data in a short time,\"
\nAly charged.<\/p>\n
The students performed in the Baranangsiang campus of their
\ncollege the shalat ghaib (prayer for the dead) and, finally,
\ndistributed registration forms for those who wished to go as
\nvolunteers to Maluku.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, East Java, around 250 KAMMI members marched to
\nthe headquarters of the Brawijaya Military Command, demanding
\nfirm military action in the unrest in Maluku.<\/p>\n
Antara said the students' advance was blocked by two platoons
\nof Battalion 507 Sikatan and Battalion 516, as well as a team of
\nmilitary troopers on motorcycles. The students then unfurled
\nbanners and posters, and gave speeches on Jl. Hayam Wuruk.<\/p>\n
\"Where's your sense of responsibility, ABRI?\" one of the
\nposters said.<\/p>\n
Activist Herman Susilo read out a statement, demanding Wiranto
\nresign for \"his inability to control his men in Ambon.\"<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, around 200 Muhammadiyah students marched to the
\noffice of the National Commission on Human Rights, urging it to
\nbe more \"proactive\" in finding solutions to the violence in
\nMaluku.<\/p>\n
Commission secretary-general Clementino dos Reis Amaral and
\nhis colleagues, Benjamin Mangkodilaga and Sugiri, received the
\nstudents, some of whom stayed outside the building to hold a free
\nspeech forum.<\/p>\n
The students demanded that the commission establish a fact
\nfinding team for the case before the June 7 general election.<\/p>\n
\"If Wiranto is unable to take the masterminds to court,
\nrestoring stability and security there, he'd better resign,\"
\nstudent Taufik said.<\/p>\n
Amaral speculated about the presence of \"a third party\" which
\npits Muslims against Christians in Maluku. Benjamin concurred,
\nand blamed the situation on \"provocateurs.\"<\/p>\n
The same demand for Wiranto's head was made on Thursday by
\nMatori Abdul Djalil, the chairman of the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB), in Central Java town of Ungaran. \"If he did not think he
\nwas able to lead his men in solving the unrest in Ambon, he
\nshould resign,\" Matori said.<\/p>\n
Matori also blasted President B.J. Habibie for the crisis in
\nMaluku. \"Habibie is fooling around in running this country, he is
\nstaging a farce, and unable to solve various problems of the
\nnation, including the unrest in Ambon,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said Habibie should own up to his incapability and resign.
\n\"Why wait until after general elections and the presidential
\nelections when this country's situation is worsening all the
\ntime?\" Matori said.<\/p>\n
The same criticism was voiced by Amien Rais, the chairman of
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN), who said in Surakarta, Central
\nJava, that the unrest had tarnished Indonesia's international
\nimage even more.<\/p>\n
\"What's so strange is that President Habibie and General
\nWiranto seem to be so calm in the face of such a situation. I
\nreally don't get it,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Committee for World Muslim Solidarity (KISDI)
\nalso lashed out at Habibie for his statement on Wednesday blaming
\nthe violence in Maluku on \"handfuls of Muslim and Christian
\nradicals.\"<\/p>\n
The organization, in a press release, quoted the imam of the
\nAl Fatah Mosque in Ambon, Abdul Aziz Arbi, as saying that the
\nstatement was untrue and should be withdrawn.<\/p>\n
Abdul, an eyewitness, said the violence involved an attack by
\nChristians on Muslims. \"We are the ones being attacked all the
\ntime. The Muslims never initiated the violence,\" he said,
\ndescribing horrendous incidents that included the killing of
\npregnant women.<\/p>\n
KISDI said Habibie's statement was a cover up for religious
\ntension, which smacked of the New Order regime's practices under
\nSoeharto. \"This is the same, sweeping dirt under the carpet,\"
\nsaid chairman Abdul Rasyid Abdullah Syafii.<\/p>\n
The Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) also
\nexpressed sadness and condolences for the deaths in Maluku. \"We
\nare praying that the Muslims who died in the violence become
\nsyahid (martyrs),\" chairman Achmad Tirtosudiro in a statement.<\/p>\n
The organization also called on the military to take firm
\nactions against those seeking to undermine national unity.
\n(24\/har\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-groups-demand-wirantos-resignation-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}