Gus Dur back home as anti-government rally over
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid arrived home after midnight on Thursday, an hour after some 4,000 youths from different camps rallied peacefully in front of the Merdeka Palace.
The Garuda Airbus carrying the beleaguered President and his entourage landed at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta 40 minutes into midnight amid tight security cordon.
Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Coordinating Minister for Political, Social Affairs and Security Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Cabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak, Indonesian Military Commander Adm. Widodo A.S., National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, State Coordinating Intelligence Body Chief Arie J. Kumaat and presidential spokesman Wimar Witoelar were among state officials greeting the President at the airport.
In a press conference onboard the plane, Gus Dur asserted that he never doubted Megawati's loyalty despite mounting support for her to take the lead.
"I've never been doubtful. If so, I would have not gone abroad. It's all up to her, and she has told the media that she would never act based on her own decision or violate the Constitution," the President said.
However, Abdurrahman refused to comment on a possible Cabinet reshuffle.
Earlier, demonstrators from the Justice Guard, a youth wing of the Justice Party, demanded the resignation of Abdurrahman for yet another failure in not preventing the ethnic riot in Sampit, Central Kalimantan that left hundreds, mostly Madurese migrants, killed.
Another group of some 200 youths who claimed to represent the Suburban Muslim Students (Mampir) stood close to the other crowd but separated by a security cordon made up of some 1,000 police officers. Like their rival group, Mampir supporters chanted religious verses almost throughout the rally.
Other Muslim groups representing the Hisbullah Front and student executive board of Ibnu Khaldun University in Bogor briefly appeared near the palace.
No incident broke out until the masses dispersed at about 20 minutes to midnight.
Wearing head scarfs and carrying posters, Justice Guard activists packed the Hotel Indonesia roundabout at around 8 p.m. before marching along the capital's thoroughfare Jl. M.H. Thamrin en route to the palace.
Heavy traffic congestion was seen on the main street and the adjacent access roads as a result of the rally.
Pressure has been mounting for Abdurrahman to resign or be ousted by the People's Consultative Assembly for his failure to implement reforms and take the country out of its current crisis.
His decision to proceed with his two-week trip abroad despite the bloody unrest in Kalimantan has added fuel to the growing resentment of him.
Abdurrahman is slated to visit the riot-torn Sampit on Thursday.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Student Executive Board (BEM) of various universities in the country canceled their plan to stage a protest at Halim Perdanakusuma airport upon the President's arrival.
In place of the rally, the student group called for a nationwide strike on Monday to add pressure for the President's resignation.
A representative of the University of Indonesia, Taufik Riyadi, told Antara the mass strike was a form of public disobedience to the government of Abdurrahman, whom the students accuse has failed to uphold the reform agenda.
Taufik said the rally to welcome the President was called off for fears of possible infiltration. The student activist said many parties who claimed to represent BEM had announced their participation in the rally. (mlt/dja/ylt/byg)