Curtail on-campus politics: Habibie

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)