Curtail on-campus politics: Habibie

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has told university rectors to facilitate campaigns for reform but to prevent campuses being turned into political arenas.

"I am calling on the minister of education and culture (Juwono Sudarsono) and the director of tertiary education not to allow campuses to be turned into political arenas. Have pity on the 'kids'," Habibie told a gathering of 55 rectors of state and private universities at his office yesterday.

"The students are the hope of their parents and this nation... they have done their best. They have successfully rattled their 'parents and grandparents'," Habibie said in an hour-long off-the-cuff speech.

Students in major cities began demonstrating in February against former president Soeharto and his administration's handling of the economic crisis. The protests spread to remoter areas and students became involved in clashes with security personnel.

The tension came to a head with the May 12 fatal shooting of four Trisakti University students and rioting in the three days thereafter.

Soeharto resigned on May 21 and handed the presidency to Habibie, who found on his first day in the job that some students disliked him and demonstrated against his accession to power.

During those demonstrations, rectors faced a dilemma. Previous education minister Wiranto Arismunandar wanted them to bar students from demonstrating, the students wanted to have free rein to hold rallies both on and outside their campuses, while the military struggled to keep them within the confines of their university grounds.

Also yesterday, Habibie explained to the rectors about his consultation last week with leaders of the House of Representatives, during which they discussed the convening of a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and holding a general election.

He invited the rectors to study the draft laws that the government is currently preparing on political parties and general elections -- which are meant to replace the existing laws that govern Indonesian politics. The drafts will eventually be submitted for deliberation and approval by the House.

"Once the drafts are finished, I will send them to you. I give you one month. If I don't hear anything from you by the end of the month, I'll take it that you agree with the drafts," he said.

Habibie's call against student politics came as students in a number of cities -- in Jakarta, Surabaya, Purwokerto in Central Java, Medan in North Sumatra and Yogyakarta -- demonstrated for various causes. Those in Medan, for instance, demonstrated against alleged sexual harassment by police officers of female students in a recent rally.

The students in Yogyakarta demonstrated against Regent Bantul Sri Roso Sudarmo for allegedly being involved in the killing of local journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin in 1996.

Also in Yogyakarta, 100 students from Irian Jaya protested at the local legislative council over what they alleged was the government's discrimination against indigenous Irianese people living in Java.

Demonstrations also took place in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, and Indramayu in West Java. The latter, held by students demanding the resignation of the regent for alleged corruption, deteriorated into a rampage which left dozens of shops and other buildings damaged.

In Jakarta, about 50 students and environmental activists gathered at the United States embassy to convey a statement against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and condemn the U.S. government for its inconsistency in implementing its antinuclear policy.

The protesters, representing 28 antinuclear groups, gathered at midday, yelling and unfurling banners that read "No Nuke", "Don't Destroy Our Earth with Your Nuke" and "How About Israel, Clinton -- You're Not the Law, Stop the Discrimination".

"The U.S. is very hypocritical and it practices double standards. It only gives strong criticism against India and Pakistan, but not of Israel which is obsessed with becoming a powerful nuclear country," said a protester while reading the statement.

In Surabaya, student protesters pulled down and defiled an American flag at the United States consulate. More than 100 members of Surabaya Muhammadiyah Students Action Association gathered in the morning to call for an end to what they said was U.S. interference in Indonesia's domestic affairs.

The students alleged that the United States played a role in the fall of Soeharto, an accusation immediately rejected by visiting U.S. Assistant State Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific Stanley Roth.

"Absolutely, it is not true," he told a media briefing in Jakarta following a meeting with Habibie. "We have consistently stated that the political situation in Indonesia is up to the people of Indonesia to decide.

"It is not for the U.S. to pick the leaders of other countries, and we took no steps to try... to undermine either president Soeharto personally or the economy of Indonesia." (21/23/44/45/prb/swe)