Huge rallies fail to materialize in the capital

JAKARTA (JP): To everyone's surprise, the capital was free from huge rallies which had been expected to mark a plenary session at the House of Representatives to hear President Abdurrahman Wahid's reply to its first memorandum of censure on Wednesday.

There was business as usual in major streets around the State Palace, Hotel Indonesia traffic junction, the House and other public places where both supporters and opposition of the embattled President usually assemble.

Dozens of security troops were seen guarding the palace, while hundreds of others were deployed at the House.

A demonstration did take place at the City Hall, staged by hundreds of people working in construction services who demanded that the council's speaker, Edy Waluyo, revoke his approval of an extension to a city regulation which requires construction service providers to register with the city administration.

Another rally was held in front of the Dutch Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said by some 30 people who demanded international intervention as a last resort to settle the conflict in troubled Aceh. The group was part of hundreds of activists representing the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) from across Greater Jakarta, who camped on a sidewalk close to the embassy overnight.

A man, identified as Yudi Engran, stole the show at the House building with a lone protest. In his statement, the 30-year-old man criticized members of the political elite who continue to fight each other at the public's expense.

Rumors of mass rallies had circulated prior to Wednesday's House session after thousands of Abdurrahman supporters streamed into the capital. They marched through the capital on Tuesday in show of support for the President, who was elected in 1999 after chairing the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama for 15 years.

The NU youth-wing Anshor Movement chairman, Saifullah Yusuf, revealed on Wednesday the reason behind why the rally failed to materialize.

He said Abdurrahman's supporters had been banned from the streets to prove their compliance with the President's orders.

"We urged them not to stage a protest because further public pressure against the House would only discredit Gus Dur and cause trouble to the country. I am glad that people have started to realize that," Saifullah told The Jakarta Post, referring to the President by his nickname.

He said Anshor had persuaded Abdurrahman's supporters to express their support in their respective towns peacefully.

"What happened today was a good example of the ability of members of the public to listen to different opinions," Saifullah said.

He also said he was still trying to ask thousands of Abdurrahman supporters from other provinces to leave the capital.

Chairman of University of Indonesia's Student Executive Board (BEM) Taufik Riyadi told the Post that students in opposition to the President kept off the streets to give him a chance at delivering his reply and to avoid a showdown with their pro- Abdurrahman counterparts.

"We decided to follow the constitutional process and to allow it to run its course so that we could listen to the President's answer. We consider mass mobilization to no longer be effective, in fact it is counterproductive to our movement," Taufik said.

He further said that students were seeking another form of peaceful movement to show Abdurrahman the door.

In Makassar, some 100 students of the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) took to the streets demanding that President Abdurrahman step down, and that the House issue a second memorandum of censure.

The students were of the opinion that Abdurrahman was defending himself rather than responding to the House's first memorandum.

Meanwhile, in Bandung, dozens of supporters of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), Democrat-Socialist Union (PSD) and Young Socialist Democrats (SMD), clashed with police officers as they tried to force their way into the provincial legislature building to air their demands for the dissolution of Golkar.

Three demonstrators were beaten provoking other demonstrators to pelt the policemen with stones, bottles and other solid objects. The police threw the objects back at demonstrators. (27/25/sur/rms/dja)