Habibie given 40 days to end crisis

BANDUNG (JP): President B.J. Habibie has only 40 more days left to bring an end to the economic crisis, according to a gathering of civilians and retired military officials.

"It has been our pledge to topple Habibie if the deadline passes. We will face all the risks together," Koen Soekarno, the chairman of the group calling itself the Coordination of Reform Potential in Java, said on Friday.

Those in attendance included National Front chairman Lt. Gen. (ret) Achmad Kemal Idris, government critic Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin, former minister of mines and energy Soebroto and legal expert Dimyati Hartono.

"It's the people's power which would bring Habibie down," Koen said. The 40-day countdown starts from the time of the announcement.

Koen said the Armed Forces (ABRI) should then decide whether it would support the people or the ruling government.

"And we (the people's power) will not hesitate to place ourselves face-to-face with ABRI if we have to," he said.

The meeting's participants, who came from Jakarta, Yogyakarta and West and East Java, agreed that the crisis demanded solid national leadership. "If necessary, a people's committee or people's presidium could be established," Koen said.

He said the committee's main duties were to urge people to join the reform movement and establish a new cabinet, which would settle all existing economic, political and legal problems.

"The committee must also decide on proposals to move the general election ahead of the date announced by the government and to remove the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) from the agenda," he said, adding the special session would only stall elections.

The government has scheduled the next general election for May next year, while the Assembly's special session is to be held this November.

Koen said university students would be mobilized to seize control of strategic places, including the House of Representatives (DPR), provincial legislative council buildings, gubernatorial offices and the Presidential Palace.

"The commencement of the people's power movement will start on Oct. 5, the same day as ABRI's 53rd anniversary," he said. (43/imn)