Demonstrations by Gus Dur supporters turn violent

Demonstrations by Gus Dur supporters turn violent

SURABAYA (JP): Disgruntled supporters of the incumbent
President Abdurrahman Wahid continued venting their anger in East
Java on Monday by vandalizing the National Awakening Party (PAN)
and Golkar Party offices in the town of Gresik, some 30
kilometers northwest of Surabaya.

No fatalities were reported, but the police said that they had
failed to curb the violent actions committed by at least 2,000
people.

Walking and riding vehicles, the people, declaring themselves
as Abdurrahman's supporters converged at the gate of the Bunder-
Surabaya toll road in the morning before moving down town.

The enraged people, who arrived from various districts, then
proceeded to Jl. Pahlawan, where the Golkar Party office is
located. They simultaneously threw stones at the building, and
smashed the windows with clubs. Eyewitnesses said that two
policemen in charge of guarding the office could not stop the
action.

The attackers, declaring themselves supporters of Gus Dur,
then crossed Jl. Kartini, and started to vandalize the PAN
office, which is located in the Kartini building shop/house. They
also smashed the windows, broke into the building, damaging all
documents and set ablaze a motorbike belonging to the PAN office.

Abdurrahman's supporters had earlier accused Golkar, PAN,
chaired by speaker of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien
Rais, and the National Development Party (PPP) of engineering the
anti-Abdurrahman protests nationwide.

Gresik Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Usman Nasution confirmed
the violence, admitting that his men were outnumbered by the
attackers. "Police officers had tried to do their best. But what
they could do was just minimize the damage. The damaged motorbike
has been confiscated as evidence."

The protesters finally headed for the provincial capital of
Surabaya to join around 3,000 Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) supporters
from Surabaya, Mojokerto, Sidoarjo and Pasuruan who had gathered
at the provincial legislative council office since 8 a.m.

They made provocative speeches, condemning and threatening
Amien Rais and House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Akbar
Tandjung. "If Gus Dur is really toppled, Akbar and Amien must die
for that," said Gus Shamud, a demonstrator from Pasuruan.

His colleague Gus Suadi said he would use supernatural powers
"to attack" Amien, Akbar, Fuad Bawazier and Bachtiar Chamsyah.

For NU supporters Fuad, former minister in Habibie's
administration, is notorious for "his hidden role" in provoking
anti-Gus Dur movements, while Bachtiar is infamous for being the
chairman of the DPR's special committee on the Bulog and Brunei
scandals which led to the issuance of DPR's memorandum for the
President.

The protesters, mostly students of pesantren (Islamic boarding
schools) in East Java, finally met with speaker of East Java
legislature Bisri Abdul Djalil of the National Awakening Party
(PKB) and other legislators.

During the meeting the legislators agreed to convey the
protesters demand for the cancellation of the memorandum (for Gus
Dur), the trial of Soeharto and his cronies, as well as the
dissolution of Golkar.

Meanwhile, the blocking of roads by Gus Dur's supporters in
Malang, Probolinggo and Situbondo continued.

Amid the clamorous rallies which turned violent in some
places, President Abdurrahman called on his supporters to
exercise restraint and avoid destructive behavior.

National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Matori Abdul Djalil
told reporters after a meeting with Abdurrahman at the State
Palace on Monday that Gus Dur was referring to supporters of PKB
and the country's largest Muslim organization NU.

"Both NU and PKB supporters have to maintain peace and order
and refrain themselves from any move that will only cost the
national unity," Gus Dur said as quoted by Matori.

Abdurrahman denounced on Sunday efforts to dissolve Golkar,
saying that the former ruling party had changed.

Central Java

Waves of people also appeared in Demak regency in Central
Java, when around 25,000 NU supporters, claiming to be from the
Truth and Justice Defender Front crowded the square,
demonstrating their support of the incumbent President. They
declared their readiness to defend Gus Dur to the end.

Abdurrahman supporters were also in Semarang on Monday when a
large number of students of the Walisongo Islamic Institute, the
17 Agustus University, Wahid Hasyim University, Semarang state
University, Diponegoro University, Sultan Agung Islamic
University, Soegiyopranoto Catholic University and some other
Christian higher institutions took to the streets.

In Purwokerto, some 1,000 people took to the streets
expressing their support of Abdurrahman and Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

They said if the MPR held a special session to impeach Gus
Dur, people power (to defend Gus Dur) would reach from Banyumas
to Jakarta.

In Jakarta, the Muhammadyah Youth Movement protested on Monday
several cases of attacks on educational institutions it runs in
the East Java towns of Gresik and Situbondo, allegedly by
Abdurrahman's supporters from the NU and the PKB.

The movement's chairman Nadjamuddin Ramly claimed that the
attacks had caused damage to signboards of a university in
Gresik, and junior and senior high schools in Situbondo.

He said the vandalism took place around 10 a.m. on Monday,
when hundreds of people turned up for a rally in support of
Abdurrahman.

Nadjamuddin also criticized the sluggish response of security
apparatus to the violence.

The group's deputy chairman, Djoko Susilo, warned that if the
vandalism continued, there would be no other way for Muhammadiyah
youths than to take revenge.

"If they cut our ears, then we will cut theirs too," Djoko
told the press briefing.

During the press meeting, Nadjamuddin declared the
Muhammadiyah youths' support for the House in its decision to
rebuke the President over his alleged involvement in two
financial scandals.

The group also urged the People's Consultative Assembly to
revoke its mandate given to Abdurrahman for his failure to uphold
the reform movement.

"Gus Dur himself is part of the problem in our reform agenda.
Instead of fighting corruption, collusion and nepotism, he has
practised them and failed to uphold the supremacy of law,"
Nadjamuddin said.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said
police are hunting people who masterminded the cutting down of
trees and blocking off traffic between Situbondo and Banyuwangi
in East Java.

"The action itself violates existing regulations on public
order. We'll hunt the people behind the action and take necessary
measures against them," Bimantoro told reporters at the National
Police Headquarters. (team)