Bintang and Pakpahan join push for reform

JAKARTA (JP): Former legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas and labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan immediately joined the frontline push for reform just hours after their release from Cipinang Prison yesterday.

Bintang spoke before students of the University of Indonesia in Depok on the outskirts of the city at about noon, while Pakpahan hosted an early morning media conference at his home in Pulogadung, East Jakarta.

Bintang, who was a lecturer at the university's engineering school, said he would launch a campaign for total reform on campuses.

Promising to be relentless in his fight for reform, Bintang said that in the near future, he would go to the Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung Islamic University and the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta to introduce his Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI) to students.

He said he would also officially register his party with the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 30.

Bintang has nominated himself for president in the past and has not been shy in expressing a readiness to assume to country's top post.

Pakpahan has not expressed any specific political ambitions but reasserted a commitment to work for the progress of workers' rights.

Under the 32-year reign of former president Soeharto, the government tightly controlled political activity and only recognized three political organizations -- Golkar, the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party.

Bintang said the government should abolish the former regime's requirement that all civil servants vote for Golkar.

Golkar has won all general elections over the New Order era with massive margins, enabling it to dominate the House of Representatives.

Bintang's first taste of freedom since May 1996 was not spent lounging at home. He visited the graves of Hery Hartanto and Elang Mulya at Tanah Kusir public cemetery in South Jakarta.

Hery, Elang and two other Trisakti University students were shot dead by security forces during a bloody incident on the university's campus two weeks ago.

Bintang, was sentenced 34 months in prison in May 1996 after being convicted of insulting Soeharto.

Pakpahan, chairman of the independent Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union, was sentenced to a four-year prison term for allegedly instigating a labor riot in 1994.

Prisoners

Their release marks a major departure from the polices of the government under Soeharto and is expected to be the precursor to the release of other political prisoners.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) yesterday urged the government to release all political prisoners indiscriminately and unconditionally.

YLBHI estimates that there are more than 200 political prisoners in Indonesia, excluding alleged communists.

Bintang himself said Monday that his release marked the beginning of a campaign to release all his fellow political inmates.

YLBHI said in a statement yesterday that the government should pronounce Bintang's and Pakpahan's release as a form of apology and correction for the mistakes of the former government.

"The government must convey this attitude to the people," the statement said, otherwise their release could be interpreted only as a mere cosmetic act to gain international sympathy.

Their formal release from prison yesterday at 1 a.m. came just hours before the arrival of officials from the International Monetary Fund to Jakarta.

Minister of Justice Muladi said Monday he was not sure whether such a statement would be forthcoming.

The fate of other political prisoners would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, he said.

He added that it would be a selective and gradual release.

Muladi also said some categories of political prisoners would not be released, such as those jailed for involvement in the 1965 failed coup and those linked to the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.

Political prisoners who engaged in criminal actions and those who tried to supersede the state ideology Pancasila would also be excluded.

Jailed East Timor separatist leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao is one of those not eligible for release since he was convicted of criminal charges, Muladi said.

Separately, the National Commission on Human Rights discussed the release of political prisoners during its plenary meeting yesterday.

The commission, however, would only announce the results of the meeting today, commission secretary-general Baharuddin Lopa said. (byg/43)