Habibie must visit Ambon, says scholar Nurcholish
Habibie must visit Ambon, says scholar Nurcholish
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie must visit the destroyed
Ambon capital of Maluku as the disorder has degenerated into a
national-scale problem, renowned scholar Nurcholish Madjid said
on Thursday.
"Habibie has to show his good will and put an end to the
people's misery," Nurcholish told The Jakarta Post.
"He could go to other places... so why not to Ambon? Horrible
things have happened. Even high ranking officials in the area
experience violence."
Maluku Governor Saleh Latuconsina's car window was shattered
recently as the governor was traveling in Ambon. Earlier, two
members of the National Commission on Human Rights were also
unexpectedly trapped in a scene of quarreling residents.
The first thing to be done in Maluku is to conduct
reconciliation between conflicting parties, Nurcholish said.
"Habibie must immediately go there to begin the process of
psychological and social support... I don't know what else (can
be done)."
Nurcholish said if the President failed to visit Maluku, it
would display insensitivity to the tragedy.
Separately, Minister of Justice Muladi said on Thursday a
decision to declare a state emergency in Maluku was up to the
President.
Legislators are suggesting a need to declare emergency
measures in the strife-torn province.
Muladi said Habibie was yet to discuss the issue. State of
emergency measures would include media restrictions, raids, body
searches and a curfew, he said.
"The advice of legislators and the Armed Forces Commander
(Gen. Wiranto) will be taken into account for such an important
decision," Muladi said, adding the decision did not need House of
Representatives approval.
Police said on Wednesday at least 182 people have been killed
since clashes between Muslims and Christians first erupted in
mid-January. More than 500 others were injured.
In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, solidarity rallies again
turned ugly when students, claiming to be from the Hasanuddin
University and Teachers Training Institute, pelted dozens of
Christians schools and churches with stones.
On Wednesday, students here beat passersby.
Protesters on Thursday threatened further action "if by March
17 no solution is reached".
Peaceful protests were held in Bogor, West Java, where 1,500
Ibnu Chaldun University students staged a sit-in, calling for an
end to continuing violence in Ambon.
In Semarang and Purwokerto, Central Java, hundreds of
students called for a holy war if problems in Maluku were not
resolved.
In Surabaya, East Java, 50 Muslim leaders called on Minister
of Security and Defense/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto to
resign because of spiraling violence in the country.
Interviewed on SCTV, chairman of the largest Muslim
organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Abdurrahman Wahid, said Governor
Saleh should be replaced as he was the "source" of the violence.
Saleh was responsible for an "imbalance" in the number of Muslim
and Christian officials, Abdurrahman said.
Nahdlatul Ulama would "do anything in its power" to remove
Saleh and any "superior" he may have instructing him in Jakarta,
Abdurrahman said.
Former chairman of the second largest Muslim organization,
Muhammadiyah, Amien Rais, told CNN television on Thursday that
calls for a holy war were "too early."
Jihad (holy war) is a very sacred word, the chairman of the
National Mandate Party said, adding that in the Maluku context it
would only provoke more violence.
Various causes of the unprecedented violence have been raised,
with officials citing jealousy, "extremists," the separatist
movement of the Republic of the South Moluccas and
"provocateurs." (edt/har/nur/24/30/45)