Govt wary of people seeking political change
Govt wary of people seeking political change
JAKARTA (JP): The government is on guard against people who
take to the street and seek to overhaul the political system, a
senior cabinet minister said yesterday.
Minister of Defense and Security, Edi Sudradjat, reiterated
that the government's policy is to tolerate demonstrations as
long as they are peaceful and "not used by a third interest
group".
"What happens now is that demonstrations have been used by
some interest groups to promote their own political agenda," Edi
said at a security hearing with Commission I of the House of
Representatives.
Edi, a retired army general, declined to specify any
demonstration as a case in point and said current street protests
are still within the tolerable limit.
Over the past week, several major cities and towns, especially
in Java, have witnessed street protests against an alleged
government intervention in the rift within the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI).
In the past months, waves of student demonstrations hit major
cities in Java and South Sulawesi. Participants rallied against
the alleged military brutality in handling a student
demonstration in Ujungpandang in April.
Edi said demonstrations, which occasionally turn violent,
show that unresolved problems continue to pile and people do not
know exactly how to get over the difficulties.
Increasing number of protests, social violence and resistance
against security officers indicate growing social unrest.
"There also are the conflicts of interests, soaring crime rate
caused by rapid urban development, and hampered social
communication," Edi added.
He called on security authorities for improved communication
to win public sympathy.
During the hearing, led by House member Abu Hasan Sazili from
the ruling Golkar, Edi complained about what he called "the
fading spirit musyawarah", or a lack of deliberation for
consensus.
He said bickering within many organizations stems from the
members' inability to resolve peacefully their differences
through such deliberations.
"People should retain the musyawarah spirits, which are the
glue that holds people in an organization together," he said.
Concern about the vanishing musyawarah spirits was also raised
by House members Aminullah Ibrahim, from the Armed Forces
faction, and Didiet Haryadi, from the Golkar.
Edi also warned the public of the danger of sectarian
activities flourishing throughout society.
Issues concerning ethnicity, religion, and primordial grouping
remain a sensitive topic in the multi-ethnic Indonesia, he said.
(pan)
JAKARTA (JP): The government is on guard against people who
take to the street and seek to overhaul the political system, a
senior cabinet minister said yesterday.
Minister of Defense and Security, Edi Sudradjat, reiterated
that the government's policy is to tolerate demonstrations as
long as they are peaceful and "not used by a third interest
group".
"What happens now is that demonstrations have been used by
some interest groups to promote their own political agenda," Edi
said at a security hearing with Commission I of the House of
Representatives.
Edi, a retired army general, declined to specify any
demonstration as a case in point and said current street protests
are still within the tolerable limit.
Over the past week, several major cities and towns, especially
in Java, have witnessed street protests against an alleged
government intervention in the rift within the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI).
In the past months, waves of student demonstrations hit major
cities in Java and South Sulawesi. Participants rallied against
the alleged military brutality in handling a student
demonstration in Ujungpandang in April.
Edi said demonstrations, which occasionally turn violent,
show that unresolved problems continue to pile and people do not
know exactly how to get over the difficulties.
Increasing number of protests, social violence and resistance
against security officers indicate growing social unrest.
"There also are the conflicts of interests, soaring crime rate
caused by rapid urban development, and hampered social
communication," Edi added.
He called on security authorities for improved communication
to win public sympathy.
During the hearing, led by House member Abu Hasan Sazili from
the ruling Golkar, Edi complained about what he called "the
fading spirit musyawarah", or a lack of deliberation for
consensus.
He said bickering within many organizations stems from the
members' inability to resolve peacefully their differences
through such deliberations.
"People should retain the musyawarah spirits, which are the
glue that holds people in an organization together," he said.
Concern about the vanishing musyawarah spirits was also raised
by House members Aminullah Ibrahim, from the Armed Forces
faction, and Didiet Haryadi, from the Golkar.
Edi also warned the public of the danger of sectarian
activities flourishing throughout society.
Issues concerning ethnicity, religion, and primordial grouping
remain a sensitive topic in the multi-ethnic Indonesia, he said.
(pan)