Gus Dur warns govt against arbitrary arrests

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Abdurrahman Wahid, familiarly known as Gus Dur, warned the new government against the arbitrary arrest of prodemocracy activists, saying it would sow hatred against the security authorities.

Abdurrahman, also chairman of the advisory council of the National Awakening Party (PKB), said the continuing arrests of prodemocracy activists in East Java and other regions was evidence that the new government, which was appointed by the recent "unconstitutional" special session of the People's Consultative Assembly, was repressive and undemocratic.

"The security authorities should not arrest any person arbitrarily or based on engineered grounds because this will certainly engender popular hatred against both them and the government.

"If the detainees are suspected of having been involved in public order offenses, let the courts decide whether they are guilty or not," he said after a party meeting here on Saturday.

The East Java Police have reportedly arrested dozens of prodemocracy activists, including local leaders of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), for handing out leaflets calling for the general election to be brought forward.

Gus Dur said several of the detainees had been released after being subjected to indoctrination "but this will certainly increase their hatred against the government and security authorities.

"Therefore, I call on the National Commission on Human Rights to investigate these arbitrary arrests to ascertain whether the detainees violated the law or not," he said.

He added he could not handle the arbitrary arrests himself as he had yet to establish his planned foundation on human rights and democracy.

When asked who would replace Matori Abdul Djalil, who has now been appointed as minister of defense, Gus Dur said that this would be decided at a national meeting of the party scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Muhaimin Iskandar, the secretary-general of the PKB, said the main agenda of the party's national meeting was to decide the fate of Matori and of the PKB faction in the legislature, which had been dissolved following the issuance of the decree attempting to suspend the legislature by then president Abdurrahman Wahid.

Muhaimin said the national meeting would decide what sanctions would be imposed on Matori, who broke party ranks on the special session, and would appoint acting party chairman Alwi Shihab as the definitive chairman.

Meetings of the party's advisory and executive boards last week dismissed Matori from the party for his participation in the Assembly's special session that removed Abdurrahman from the presidency.

Muhaimin said that despite the party' support for the decree, the national meeting would likely recommend the revival of the party factions in the House and Assembly to maintain the PKB legislators' monthly incomes and enable them to continue to represent their constituents.

"Besides the question of representation, the financial question is another reason why a lot of our legislators want to revive the PKB factions," he said, adding that several PKB legislators needed money to pay the installments on their cars.

However, if the national meeting decided to permanently dissolve the PKB factions in the legislative bodies, Muhaimin said the PKB would turn itself into an "advocacy party" to help uphold democracy and protect human rights in the country.

"To me, the fate of the PKB factions depends on an assessment of how well it can play its political role in the legislature," he said. (rms)