Feisal warns of election disruptions

Feisal warns of election disruptions

JAKARTA (JP): On the eve of the campaign period, the
government issued a fresh warning of attempts by certain groups
to disrupt the June 7 general election.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Gen.
(ret) Feisal Tanjung told a media conference that the groups,
whom he labeled extremists, had been trying to create political
instability with the intention of forcing the polls to be
canceled.

Feisal identified the trouble-makers as communist-affiliated,
revolution-minded and sectarian groups.

"We can sense the resurrection of the communist-linked group,
which always poses a latent danger to the nation. They activate
invisible movements, and will take advantage of any event to
campaign for their programs, agitate people and incite
conflicts," Feisal, a former Armed Forces chief, said.

Tuesday's meeting also served as a briefing for journalists
covering the elections.

Discourse on a communist threat resurfaced recently after a
statement by President B.J. Habibie linked the socialist thought
of founding president Sukarno, widely known as "Marhaeinism", to
communism. Habibie later rectified his statement following public
outcry.

Feisal said the second extreme group of "revolutionaries"
developed as a result of globalization.

"They demand quick changes through a revolution, forcing
people to accept their opinion and plotting political maneuvers,"
he said, adding that the group would mobilize the people to put
pressure on the government.

Feisal said symptoms of sectarianism were evident in the
recent conflicts and acts of harassment between supporters of
rival political parties.

People wearing attributes of the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) have repeatedly disrupted Golkar
Party functions across Java. The latest skirmish broke out in
Semarang, the capital of Central Java, early this month, with PDI
Perjuangan supporters attacking a local Golkar branch office.

Central Java was also a battleground for supporters of the
National Awakening Party and rival United Development Party. The
latest clash in Jepara last month left four people dead.

Feisal said the campaign period, scheduled to run from May 19
to June 4, would be the most critical stage of the election
process. He called on leaders of parties contesting the June
polls to reduce the possibility of unrest during the period by
opting for indoor rallies and methods other than face-to-face
campaigning, such as by using television and radio.

"Monologue rallies (outdoor assemblies) are very much prone to
spark brutal and violent conduct," Feisal said.

In Surabaya, the chief of Brawijaya Military Command, which
oversees East Java, Maj. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, seconded early
suspicions voiced by secretary of the Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim
organization, Said Aqiel Siradj, that about 5,000 provocateurs
who had been trained abroad would create unrest along Java's
northern coast during the campaign period.

"Such an overseas training program for provocateurs must
exist, such as what the separatist rebel group in Aceh has
undergone," Ryamizard said as quoted by Antara.

Ryamizard admitted he was not well-informed about the matter,
but did not reject the possibility that a right-wing group was
preparing to disrupt the elections. (rms/amd)