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)