FID seeks political support from Gus Dur
FID seeks political support from Gus Dur
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Forum for Peace (FID) met with
President Abdurrahman Wahid on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt
to obtain the President's political support for its efforts to
identify the perpetrators behind the Christmas Eve bombing
incidents.
Head of the forum's team assigned to communicate with the
state apparatus, Bara Hasibuan, said the visit was also aimed at
persuading the government not to leave the case unsolved as has
occurred with previous bombing cases.
"Learning from the police's past performance in handling such
cases, we can see that none of them have been solved. The police
will again meet stumbling blocks in their attempts to solve the
bombing incidents this time.
"Therefore, we need a political commitment from the President
to help the law enforcers handle these possible obstructions," he
told journalists in the lobby of Hotel Indonesia.
He was referring to several bombing cases in Medan, North
Sumatra, and one in the basement of the Jakarta Stock Exchange
building late last year.
A forum member, Budiman Sudjatmiko, said that during the
meeting the President admitted that it is difficult to solve the
case because state intelligence personnel and the police cannot
work hand in hand as a united force.
"To cope with such conditions, Gus Dur said that he will
reorganize the State Intelligence Coordinating Body (BAKIN),
citing a reshuffle in the near future," the chairman of the
Democratic People's Party said while quoting Abdurrahman by his
nickname.
"Gus Dur has given his support by also endorsing our proposal
for the establishment of a joint fact-finding team with the
government," he told The Jakarta Post by phone after the one-hour
meeting.
Budiman said the fact-finding team would not only legitimize
the work of the forum's investigative team, but also strengthen
the will of the police to work against all odds in solving the
case with the people's support.
The forum members included former ministers Emil Salim and
Mar'ie Muhammad, Catholic priests/intellectuals Mudji Sutrisno
and Franz Magnis-Suseno, sociologist Imam B. Prasodjo, economist
Faisal Basri, artist Ratna Sarumpaet and legal activist Munir.
Earlier, during a media briefing on Wednesday, Budiman said
the forum had not yet revealed the results of their investigation
because they are still gathering more data.
"What we can say is that the bombings were not aimed solely at
terrorizing the Christians, and that although the types of bomb
are different in each place, the mastermind belongs to one
group ... the old regime.
"We assume that they attempted to warn the government that
they still exist, and have power which they can use as a
bargaining tool to have the crimes in which they were involved
forgotten," Budiman said.
A series of bomb explosions at churches in seven provinces on
Christmas Eve have killed 17 people and injured dozens of others.
(bby)