'Civilian guards' consist mainly of out of town jobless

JAKARTA (JP): Many of the civilian guards whose recruitment has sparked controversy during this week's four-day Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) consist of unemployed people from cities across Java.

Those interviewed by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, where they have been based, said they came from Yogyakarta, Semarang in Central Java, Cirebon, Bandung and Banten in West Java as well as Jakarta to help safeguard security in the capital during the session.

They also admitted they were paid Rp 10,000 (US$1.35) a day and given meals, consisting mostly of rice, vegetables, eggs and, sometimes chicken or meat, four times a day.

Deri, a young man met sitting on the ground floor of the mosque, said the rice, which was cooked at a house in Cikini, Central Jakarta, was reportedly donated by a high-ranking official.

Deri, an unemployed man from Central Jakarta, expressed his happiness about getting the daily allowance of Rp 10,000, saying it was better than doing nothing at home.

Rakidi, a scavenger from Yogyakarta and a father of one child, said: "The money is good for us during hard times like this."

Anto, an unemployed from Babatan village, Yogyakarta, shared Deri and Rakidi's views, saying that the payment was called "money for cigarettes".

Anto said that he and Rakidi were among 300 recruits from Yogyakarta who arrived in the city on Monday in six buses.

He said his departure to Jakarta was arranged by his coordinator, identified as Bardan. They left Yogyakarta on Sunday at 8 p.m. after meeting Bardan at 4 p.m.

"Bardan got an invitation from someone in Jakarta," he said, adding that he did not know who issued Bardan the invitation.

Anto said his groups were divided into smaller sections named after Indonesian heroes, such as Imam Bonjol and Hasanudin.

Iing from Bandung said that he and his friends, who arrived here in three buses on Monday, called themselves Front Fisabillilah.

Branch offices of two political parties in Bandung recruited them, he said.

"Before coming here we were briefed that we would be asked to help defend the truth and our religion," he said.

The Jakarta residents who have been recruited as civilian guards come mostly from Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta and areas around the mosque, he said.

Jeleng said that he and his colleagues, who used to sell food and beverages around the mosque on ordinary days, were also recruited as volunteers.

"Actually, I don't really like doing this. But I can't refuse it," Jeleng, a resident of Bogor, said.

Some of the civilian guards were involved in a clash with local residents on Jl. Proklamasi in Central Jakarta on Tuesday and those who were injured have received medical treatment at the mosque's health center.

Anto said those from Banten armed themselves with sharped bamboos for the clash. "But we from Yogyakarta were deployed there to say a special prayer. If had known that there would have been a fight, I would have taken a sword to guard myself," he said.

Some of the people said they would return to their hometowns before the end of the session on Friday.

Meanwhile, Noer Indradjaya, the head of the Potential Development Board of Banten Big Family, expressed concern over the existence of civilian guards who claimed to represent the people of Banten.

"Certain parties have taken advantage of the frankness of Banten people to become involved in clashes with other people," he said.

Many civilian guards safeguarding the session are reportedly unhappy with the job they are doing and traveled to Jakarta to take part in what they thought was gong to be a mass prayer, he added.

City councilors joined the chorus of people pressing the government to dissolve all armed volunteers deployed to secure the MPR session.

Agus Waluyo and Jonggi Sihombing told reporters on Wednesday that the presence of vigilantes who were armed with sharp weapons was too dangerous as they could injure others if clashes occurred.

Jonggi, who is also head of the Jakarta chapter of the Organization of the Children of Retired Armed Forces Members (FKPPI), said that the organization initially promised to join the civilian security personnel deployment.

"But we canceled our involvement in the force after we learnt that the civilians were later armed with sharp weapons.

According to Jonggi, FKPPI formerly planned to deploy about 300 out of its 120,000 members in the civilian security force.

Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said on Wednesday the police had seized sharpened bamboos and other weapons from the volunteers.

But Noegroho refused to send the civilians back to their hometowns as expected by many people, saying that the volunteers had come to the city to help ensure the session's success. (jun/ind)