Huge rally wants Gus Dur to resign

Huge rally wants Gus Dur to resign

JAKARTA (JP): Around 3,000 students and youths staged an
antigovernment demonstration at the gates of the House complex on
Wednesday, demanding President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid step
down for his alleged involvement in two financial scandals.

The demonstrators, who thronged the compound's gate from early
morning, were unable to reach the House building because of the
tight security provided by more than 1,000 riot police. Security
personnel thoroughly examined all vehicles entering the House
complex.

Traffic was detoured as main access roads to the House were
occupied by demonstrators and hundreds of buses.

Several groups of demonstrators staged a free speech forum,
attacking the President for his failure to implement reforms and
combat corruption.

"The President must step down because he failed to combat
corrupt, collusive and nepotistic practices and is involved in
the Buloggate and Bruneigate," said Ardiyanto, a member of the
executive board of the student organization of the University of
Indonesia.

The House of Representatives is investigating Abdurrahman's
involvement in the alleged misuse of Rp 35 billion belonging to a
foundation established by State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and his
acceptance outside government channels of US$2 million financial
aid from the Sultan of Brunei.

Elsewhere in East Java, thousands from Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim
organization held simultaneous rallies in support of Abdurrahman
at 37 regency legislative councils across the province. The
province is the stronghold of NU, which once was led by
Abdurrahman.

The NU supporters pledged to keep Abdurrahman in office until
his term ends in 2004.

In the provincial capital of Surabaya, demonstrators demanded
the House disband the special committee investigating the Bulog
and Brunei scandals and form another committee to probe the
misuse of Central Bank liquidity support funds.

No incidents were reported in East Java.

Back in Jakarta, the protesters called on all students and the
people to avoid anarchistic actions in expressing their
aspirations.

"Help, please, don't use violence to fight for political
aspirations. The reform must go smoothly and peacefully," said a
demonstrator.

Hundreds of other demonstrators from the Anticorruption
People's Forum (Fraksi) called on people and the House of
Representatives to fight against corruption and uphold the law to
salvage the reform movement.

They also urged the House's special committee investigating
Buloggate and Bruneigate to be honest and fair in their
investigations. They presented the committee's chairman, Bachtiar
Chamsyah, with a monkey.

"The committee's image is no better than this monkey's if it
attempts political deals with the President and his cronies while
the investigation is underway," one of the students said as he
gave the primate to Bachtiar.

Bachtiar, accompanied by his deputies, Alvin Lie and Julius
Usman, promised to carry out the investigation in accordance with
the existing procedures and work in a transparent and fair
manner.

"Thanks for your moral support. We will be transparent and
fair in our investigation. But, you should exercise patience
until the special committee hands over its investigation results
to the House's plenary session on January 29," he said.

Rejection

Bachtiar said the 50-member special committee had decided to
reject the President's offer to question him at the presidential
palace instead of fulfilling the House summons.

He described the summons as a golden opportunity for the
President to clarify his involvement in the two scandals.

"Without any intention to threaten the President, we suggest
he use the respectful forum. We will stick to our schedule to
complete to the investigation on Jan. 29," he said.

State Secretary Djohan Effendy sent a letter to the House on
Tuesday to inform that the President would not go to the House
building to give testimony before the special committee. He also
said the President was ready to reply to written questions from
the committee and meet with certain members of the committee.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said the House would
write Abdurrahman, asking for a meeting between the President and
the special committee to get his clarification about the two
scandals.

"We will send a letter to the President to seek a meeting
between him and the committee sometime in the immediate future,"
he said after a meeting with the special committee on Wednesday
afternoon.

In response to the mounting criticisms against Abdurrahman,
noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid regretted that the
President did not feel guilty.

"The President does not feel guilty because he uses a
paternalistic value judgment strongly adhered to in the largest
Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama and no longer popular in the
reform era," he said in a press gathering at the House later on
Wednesday. (nur/edt/rms)