DPR protesters claim Golkar betrayed Habibie

JAKARTA (JP): About 100 students and legislators claiming to represent the people of eastern Indonesian rallied at the House of Representatives on Friday to protest the Golkar Party's failure to clinch support for B.J. Habibie's presidential reelection bid.

Carrying banners bearing accusatory statements, the students from the Eastern Indonesia Student Front blamed the party's top figures Akbar Tandjung, Marzuki Darusman and Ginandjar Kartasasmita for betraying Habibie.

"Akbar, Marzuki and Ginandjar are traitors," one of the banners read. "Marzuki and Ginandjar must to be tried," read another.

Party chairman Akbar, who is also the House speaker, agreed to the protesters' demand for a meeting but Marzuki and Ginandjar did not attend.

The meeting descended into fierce bickering, with the students accusing the three party leaders of betrayal and plotting the Assembly's vote against Habibie's accountability speech on Tuesday. Habibie dropped his presidential bid early Wednesday.

Crack had been found in Golkar long before the General Session of People's Consultative Assembly which concluded on Thursday. The party unanimously picked Habibie as its sole presidential candidate, but Marzuki always indicated the possibility of reviewing the decision, to the disappointment of his colleagues.

"We ask Bang Akbar to take account of the rejection of Habibie's accountability speech and that Golkar legislators, especially Marzuki and Ginandjar, must be tried," one of the protesters shouted.

A composed Akbar insisted that he would present his accountability report on Golkar's performance during the General Session of the Assembly to the party's board of executives and provincial chapters, not to the students.

But he promised to investigate the alleged betrayal and said he would impose heavy punishment on anyone found guilty.

Akbar appealed to the students to stop demanding a federal state in the country, saying it was against the 1945 Constitution.

"We must respect the decision made by the nation's founding fathers to maintain unity. But if your intention is for a federal state, you should channel your aspirations through your representatives in the legislative bodies."

Golkar executive Marwah Daud Ibrahim, who accompanied the protesters, expressed her discontent with Habibie's aborted presidential bid. She said his withdrawal affirmed the Javanese domination of politics.

"I'm very sad because Habibie, who represents the country's eastern section, was given only one and a half of years to lead the country," said Marwah, who is a South Sulawesian like Habibie.

Rally

In the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, thousands of student protesters attempted to take over the city's seaport and airport as their rallies decrying Habibie's defeat continued on Friday.

Their efforts were thwarted by security personnel.

They subsequently gathered at the Mandala Monument on Jl. Jendral Sudirman, hoisting the red-and-white national flag and declaring the establishment of a free Sulawesi state.

Many of the protesters also waved green flags bearing a map of Sulawesi.

A group of 17 provincial legislators joined the protest.

A student from Makassar State University, Iswari Al Farisy, said the students raised their demand to break away from the republic after witnessing that the Assembly failed to accommodate aspirations from eastern Indonesia, particularly those of the people of Sulawesi.

"Rejecting Megawati Soekarnoputri's nomination as vice president is the embryo of our struggle. The Assembly just did not listen to Marwah Daud Ibrahim," Iswari told The Jakarta Post.

Marwah interrupted the session preparing to elect the vice president on Thursday by demanding another candidate who would accommodate the aspirations of people in the eastern part of the country. Marzuki responded almost immediately by saying that Marwah was speaking in her personal capacity and not for Golkar.

The students said Megawati's election was undemocratic and merely resulted from caving in to public pressure.

Makassar Mayor H.B. Amiruddin Maula expressed sympathy for the students. "Their demand has moved me and I think people outside the province should pay attention to their aspirations."

Mass communications and legal expert of Hasanuddin University, Andi Muis, suggested that Habibie visit Makassar to calm the protesters.

"The prolonged protests have been triggered by the students' disappointment over their idol's withdrawal from the presidential race," Muis said as quoted by Antara. (27/30/edt/emf/rms)