30,000 students take over the House

30,000 students take over the House

JAKARTA (JP): Around 30,000 students demonstrating for reform
stormed the House of Representatives/People's Consultative
Assembly building in Senayan yesterday in their biggest show of
force yet.

Arriving in waves of buses and clad in various varsity colors,
the students had a field day in the compound where security was
virtually non-existent. They chanted slogans for reform, shouted
criticism of the government and demanded that President Soeharto
step down.

The students stuck mostly to their own university groupings,
their college jackets forming small groups of red, yellow, green,
gray and other colors that looked like clusters of flowers from
the top floors of the building.

Some milled about under the scorching sun, others ate lunches
provided by a group of women activists who called themselves
Suara Ibu Peduli (Voice of Caring Mothers), while yet another
group queued in front of pay phones to call home and tell their
parents they would spend the night camping in the grounds of the
House.

More than 100 paramedics and medical students -- all
volunteers, stood by ready to help students. They joined the
others in jeering when a military helicopter momentarily hovered
above the twin-domed building.

"We are in control of this building," one student said
excitedly. "No military!"

One student leader, upon hearing from a reporter that
President Soeharto would not step down, said: "Was that what he
said? Fine! Then we won't back down either. We're staying here
until I don't know when."

Nearby, several soldiers passed the time reading newspapers
and watching events unfold. Bottled tea and rujak fruit salad
vendors sold out in a short time; one of the vendors said it was
the first time they had entered the House of the people.

Scavengers had a field day collecting garbage and plastic
bottles left lying by students which they would later sell.

Among the students which joined the demonstration were those
from the University of Indonesia, who traveled in more than 30
buses from their Depok campus in West Java, Bandung Institute of
Technology and Bogor Institute of Agriculture. There were also
representatives from various cities outside Java, including Palu
in Central Sulawesi.

Many of the students waved posters and unfurled banners
calling on Soeharto to resign and for a special session of the
People's Consultative Assembly to elect a new president and vice
president.

Hilarity erupted every so often. On one occasion, debating
students began to giggle after condemning the legislative body
for being weak and ineffective, only to call on it to "tough it
out" only seconds later.

Some of the more daring students climbed onto the roof of the
building and flew the national flag. Some draped a banner from
the roof which said: "Live honorably or die martyrs."

Yesterday's demonstration was boosted by the presence of 1,000
labor activists who marched to the House and met with Golkar
legislators in order to deliver their demand for a change in the
national leadership.

"We want Soeharto and Habibie to step down," Datuk Bagindo,
chairman of official Federation of All Indonesian Workers Union
(FSPSI) labor union, said.

"Because of the economic crisis (caused by Soeharto's
administration), workers are facing mass dismissals, lay-offs and
the worst hardship for the last 30 years," he said. "Not only is
unemployment rising, workers are also facing political and
economic uncertainty."

Tension

Tension rose briefly when a group of activists from the
Golkar-affiliated Pemuda Pancasila (Pancasila Youth Organization)
entered the compound in their black-and-orange, military-like
fatigues. Some carried daggers while others unfurled banners that
read: "Down with (House Speaker) Harmoko!"

The students jeered the delegation led by Yapto Suryosumarno
and Yorris Raweyai. "Bandits!" the students shouted, causing
fears that a clash was imminent.

Yapto then led the delegation in to meet with members of the
Golkar faction in order to express their support for Soeharto.
They also gave strong backing to the statement made by Armed
Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto, who on Monday night said that
Harmoko's call for Soeharto to resign had no legal basis.

The delegation left immediately after the meeting.

By nightfall, some 10,000 students remained at the House out
of fear that if they left, they would not be able to get back in
today. Some of those who stayed planned to join today's mass
demonstration at the National Monument Square in Central Jakarta.

Elsewhere, hundreds of young professionals gathered at the
Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building and urged President
Soeharto to step down immediately.

"He must step down now. We don't need fresh general
elections," yelled one security broker. He was seconded by
analysts and banking employees in ties and business suits.

The President's promise to step down after seeing through
political reform and fresh general elections was made to "buy him
time," one protester said.

However, unlike the young professional, the stock market
cheered the President's announcement, with most shares surging in
active trade.

The JSX Composite Index, which has been on a downward slope in
recent days, jumped 6.4 percent to close at 413.82. The rupiah
also rallied to Rp 11,000 against the U.S. dollar right after the
President's announcement from a morning low of Rp 17,000. (team)