Habibie saddened by violence
Habibie saddened by violence
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie expressed his sadness on
Saturday over the recent outburst of violence in several regions
of the country, including Banyuwangi in East Java which has borne
witness to more than 100 killings recently.
The President said the recent brutalities were a cause for
sorrow because they had victimized many innocent people,
including local Moslem leaders. He conceded that the government
should be able to demonstrate to the public that it is serious in
its efforts to uphold the law.
He therefore instructed the country's law enforcers to work
hard to solve the murders, although he acknowledged that it was
not an easy task to settle such a complex problem in a short
time.
On Saturday, the President also, for the first time, openly
talked about the riots and violence that took place throughout
the 1980s. He mentioned "incidents which affected Moslems ... in
Aceh, Lampung, Tanjung Priok and the ongoing case in Banyuwangi"
as cases that attracted the attention of the international
community.
Habibie was addressing the closing ceremony of the five-day
Indonesian Moslem Congress at the Merdeka Palace.
Congress organizers said the event was intended to boost
solidarity among Moslems, to help accelerate the reform program,
and to help head off the possible disintegration of society.
Critics said the congress -- the first held since 1945 -- was
an attempt to use Moslems to endorse and establish the legitimacy
of Habibie's administration.
"Under the difficult situation now facing us, I can understand
that some people have become impatient and lost their common
sense in dealing with the problem facing us," Habibie said.
Saturday was the first time Habibie has publicly acknowledged
public anger over human rights abuse in various parts of the
country, including Aceh, Lampung and Tanjung Priok in North
Jakarta.
The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras) in September urged the government to reinvestigate the
1989 Lampung incident, saying the death toll was at least 246
people, nearly eight times higher than the official account.
Led by then Col. Hendropriyono, troops clashed with a group
calling itself Mujahidin Fisabilillah. One Army captain died in
the incident. Lt. Gen. Hendropriyono is currently Minister of
Transmigration.
The Tanjung Priok case -- when troops opened fire on
demonstrators -- occurred in 1984. Human rights activists believe
the death toll was also much higher than the military's official
account, which states that nine people lost their lives.
Military atrocities became a somewhat regular occurrence in
Aceh during the 10 years when the province was designated as a
military operation region.
Also at Saturday's event, Ali Yafie, the deputy chairman of
Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), presented Habibie with a five-
page declaration prepared by the congress.
The congress participants stated in the declaration that they
supported the People's Consultative Assembly Special Session,
which is to be held from Nov. 10 through Nov. 13, the general
election in May next year and presidential and vice presidential
elections in December next year.
"The (congress) calls on all the nation to safeguard the three
events as best as possible. The security forces are also expected
to carry out their duty to safeguard the national agenda," it
said.
It also demanded the government respond to allegations of
human rights violations in Irian Jaya, East Timor, Tanjung Priok,
and Aceh.
One congress commission issued a recommendation that the
country's president and vice president should be Moslem and male,
but this was excluded from the final agenda.
Critics said the gender requirement was directed at opposition
leader Megawati Soekarnoputri. (prb)