15 students go on hunger strike to protest ex-generals' candidacy
Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta
Opposition continued against presidential candidates with military backgrounds on Monday, when at least 15 students went on a hunger strike at Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM).
The protesters hailed from various universities in the province, grouped under the United Opposition Front (BPB), which opposed four-star generals Wiranto, nominated by the Golkar Party, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, nominated by his upstart Democrat Party.
The students expressed concern over the civilian political elite, whom they said had embraced the militaristic culture.
The hunger strike started with a rally at 11 a.m. involving more than 50 students at the UGM campus.
While distributing leaflets and chanting antimilitary slogans, the protesters pitched a tent for the hunger strike.
A large banner reading "Withdraw soldiers from Aceh and Papua" and dozens of antimilitary posters were displayed in front of the tent.
Protest spokesman Ferry Gunawan said Wiranto and Susilo were not eligible to contest the country's first direct presidential election on July 5, due to their alleged roles in human rights violations, such as the bloody July 27, 1996, attack on the headquarters of Megawati Soekarnoputri's then Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the Trisakti University and Semanggi tragedies in May 1998.
The cases are still unresolved, and no senior military officers who were in command at the time have been tried.
Susilo was chief of staff of the Jakarta Military Command when hoodlums, with the tacit backing of security forces, stormed the party headquarters of populist opposition leader Megawati; Wiranto was the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) commander when the Trisakti and Semanggi student riots erupted, demanding president Soeharto's resignation.
"The two candidates are tainted with sins and are not qualified to lead the country," Ferry said.
Meanwhile, protest coordinator Farid Setiawan slammed the civilian political elite for failing to take a firm stance to prevent the "latent military threat". They even accommodated and supported the military to consolidate its strength to make a political comeback in the reform era, he said.
As a consequence, militaristic measures were reintroduced to resolve the nation's problems, including the Aceh conflict and the eviction of street vendors in cities across Indonesia, Farid added.
"This policy shows a weak civilian (political) elite and they are contaminated by the militaristic culture," he said.
Asked whether this meant the protesters backed civilian candidates for the presidency -- Megawati, Amien Rais and Hamzah Haz -- both Ferry and Farid denied any such connection.
"We don't support any of the three civilian presidential candidates, because they have played a role in giving the military room (to make a comeback)," Ferry said.
"We are just reminding people of the latent military threat, which is real and should be tackled soon," he added.
Similar protests against candidates from the military has hit many cities and towns across the country ahead of the July 5 election.