DPR protesters claim Golkar betrayed Habibie

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)