Crisis a time bomb for govt, Amien says

Crisis a time bomb for govt, Amien says

BANDUNG (JP): The leader of the 28 million-strong Muhammadiyah
Moslem Organization warned yesterday the government is sitting on
a time bomb if it fails to quickly resolve the multidimensional
crisis facing the country.

"Pak Harto is sitting on top of a political volcano," Amien
Rais told journalists in the West Java provincial capital
yesterday.

The monetary crisis, Amien said, heightens the possibility of
the situation "exploding".

"We do not need sophisticated university theories, common
sense would be enough to understand that the possibility (of
social disorder) exists if staple goods are becoming more
difficult to get," Amien said.

Amien said the government's legitimacy could also be
threatened if the nation's economic crisis continued at the end
of a general session of the People's Consultative Assembly in
March.

The public, Amien said, could lose confidence in the
government and this would reduce the government's moral and
political legitimacy.

"People may nod and appear to agree when told about a
government policy, but in fact, they do not carry out these
instructions," Amien remarked.

He said economic reforms should be implemented simultaneously
with political reforms.

"Economic reforms must bring about social justice while
political reforms should institute a clean and good government,"
argued Amien, who was recently named a presidential candidate by
a branch of the United Development Party.

He said that one of the problems concerning national
leadership here was the absence of a noticeable successor to
Soeharto who is acceptable to all political circles.

"Naming (Vice President) Try Sutrisno, (Minister of Research
and Technology) B.J. Habibie, (Minister of National Development
Planning) Ginandjar Kartasamita, or whoever (as members of the
presidium) will ignite pros and cons," Amien said.

Amien therefore forwarded the idea of a presidium in which its
members should represent all groups and political aspirations in
the country.

Armed Forces

Amien said the Armed Forces remained a decisive factor in the
country's political future.

"Up till now, the Armed Forces is still a powerful political
player," Amien said adding that its loyalty lies in the survival
of the state.

In Yogyakarta, Deputy Speaker of the House Lt. Gen. Syarwan
Hamid said the Armed Forces also supported the massive drive
toward political reform.

"The Armed Forces also wants this nation to be better, but
reforms should be carried out in an orderly manner," Syarwan
said.

He said reforms can be carried out through revolution and
evolution and quickly asserted the latter was the Armed Forces'
choice.

Meanwhile, two small groups went to the House of
Representatives in Jakarta separately yesterday urging President
Soeharto not to run for a seventh consecutive term.

The first group, calling themselves the Forum of Greater
Jakarta Youth, carried posters saying: "The national leader
should be physically and mentally healthy" and "People want lower
prices not speeches", and distributed a written statement
expressing their demands.

A second group of about 20 later arrived. This group called
itself Professionals for Democracy. (09/10/23/43)