Walhi rejects appointment of new minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): About 30 activists from the Indonesian Forum for
\nEnvironment (Walhi) staged a loud protest here yesterday
\nrejecting the appointment of Panangian Siregar as the new
\nenvironment minister.<\/p>\n
In the protest held just before Panangian took over his
\nministerial post from Juwono Sudarsono, who became the new
\nminister of education and culture, the activists accused the
\nIndonesia Democratic Party (PDI) politician of "having his hands
\nstained with blood from the July 27 incident".<\/p>\n
"Panangian was chairman of the organizing committee of the
\nMedan congress, the result of collusion between Soeharto's regime
\nand Soerjadi... He is anti-democracy," one activist, Efendi
\nPanjaitan, said.<\/p>\n
The activists were referring to the PDI breakaway congress in
\nJune 1996 in Medan, North Sumatra, in which government-backed
\nSoerjadi ousted Megawati Soekarnoputri from the party's
\nleadership.<\/p>\n
Megawati, however, refused to recognize the congress. Her
\nsupporters, in a sign of defiance, refused to relinquish the PDI
\nheadquarters on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In the early hours of July 27, a group of men allied to
\nSoerjadi forcefully took over the building in a bloody clash.<\/p>\n
A mass riot ensued in the area, living five dead and dozens
\nmissing. Several buildings were also torched as a result.<\/p>\n
"His hands are full of blood," activist, Chalid Muhammad,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"Jangan Cemari Lingkungan Hidup dengan Darah (Don't pollute
\nthe environment office with blood)," read one poster.<\/p>\n
The protest forced a one-and-a-half-hour delay in the handover
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
It resumed only after the well-respected Juwono Sudarsono
\ninvited activists into his office, saying he could understand
\ntheir rejection of Panangian's appointment.<\/p>\n
"It's OK to have a different point of view... but please show
\nrespect to me, let's be peaceful," he pleaded.<\/p>\n
The activists later agreed to leave the office compound after
\nvoicing their strong rejection.<\/p>\n
In his 15-minute acceptance speech, Panangian defended
\nhimself, claiming to be "a democratic man".<\/p>\n
Panangian later told journalists that he had actually talked
\nto and tried to convince Megawati to participate in the Medan
\ncongress before it was held.<\/p>\n
"But they didn't want to join, so I decided to go myself," he
\nsaid. "I would not have talked to them if I wasn't democratic".<\/p>\n
Panangian blamed yesterday's protest on Haryanto Taslam, a PDI
\npolitician loyal to Megawati.<\/p>\n
"I saw him commanding the protest from outside the office
\nfence. He was behind this protest," Panangian charged.<\/p>\n
"They should be proud to see a man from PDI in the present
\nCabinet, not against him," he told about 100 people attending the
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
When journalists told him that the protesters were from Walhi,
\nPanangian raised his voice saying: "Walhi should have no fault
\nwith the PDI."<\/p>\n
When asked to comment on the protest, former environment
\nminister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja -- who also attended the ceremony
\n-- said: "It's understandable. It's just the fate he has to face
\nfor being in the Cabinet."<\/p>\n
"But as a former member of the environment office, I'd rather
\nwait and see whether he can perform... The rest, well that's
\nHabibie's political problem," he said. (aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/walhi-rejects-appointment-of-new-minister-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}