Govt to hold preseminar on Sukarno soon

Govt to hold preseminar on Sukarno soon

JAKARTA (JP): The government has again taken up its
controversial plan to hold a seminar on the impeachment of
Indonesia's first president Sukarno.

State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman, who
initiated the plan and later put it on hold for some time due to
the growing controversy, said here Saturday that the seminar
would be duly held, but preceded by a pre-seminar at the end of
this month.

"A pre-seminar on president Sukarno's Nawaksara accountability
speech will be held at the end of this month, preceding the main
seminar scheduled for next year," Hayono, who is the chief of the
seminar's organizing committee, said as quoted by Antara.

Addressing the press after officiating the construction of the
Industrial Park for Youths at the Bukit Semarang Baru (BSB) in
Semarang, Central Java, Hayono said a limited number of people
are expected to attend the pre-seminar. Those invited are mainly
government officials and around 100 people directly involved in
the historical event, including former members of the Provisional
People's Consultative Assembly Frans Seda and Gen. (ret) A.H.
Nasution.

Hayono said the pre-seminar would be held to help build a
common perception between the government and those who once took
part in the impeachment.

"We expect the government and those involved at the time will
have a similar perception on Sukarno's impeachment," he said.

Heated debates have surrounded the planned seminar, originally
scheduled for last April. President Soeharto approved the plan in
March.

At the center of the debate is Sukarno's Nawaksara
accountability speech before a special session of the Provisional
People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS). It had questioned his
stand on the abortive coup attempt in 1965, which was blamed on
the Indonesian Communist Party.

The assembly rejected Sukarno's accountability speech, paving
the way for his impeachment from the office he had held since
1945. The assembly then appointed Soeharto, who played a pivotal
role in toppling the communists, as president in 1968.

When Hayono first put forward his intention to hold the
seminar, opinions were divided over whether the event would only
open old wounds or would benefit people.

The government decided in April to hold the seminar after the
general meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly next March.
The meeting is scheduled to elect the country's new president and
vice president and establish the five-yearly State Guidelines.

Hayono said Saturday he hoped those directly involved in the
historical event would attend and share their opinions, so that a
common perception on the accountability speech could be
established.

"The main seminar, which will be held afterwards, will be open
for the public," he said.

Law professor of the Semarang-based Diponegoro University
Muladi supported the plan to organize a pre-seminar, which he
said would help introduce an understanding between various
parties.

Muladi, also rector of the university, said the "inputs" from
government officials and those involved in the impeachment should
be formulated, and be complemented with the accountability speech
into a complete document to be used in the main seminar.
(imn/har)