Independence veterans' meeting ends in turmoil

Independence veterans' meeting ends in turmoil

JAKARTA (JP): The gathering of veterans of the independence
struggle ended in turmoil on Tuesday night when several delegates
denounced the line-up of the new executive board that includes
children, grandchildren and even in-laws of veterans.

Twenty-two of the delegates to the Congress of the Association
of Pioneers of Independence announced their intention to form
their own group in protest, the Antara news agency reported
yesterday.

The gathering was opened on Monday by President Soeharto who
praised the veterans and suggested that the younger generation
could emulate the fighting spirit shown by the pioneers during
the struggle for Indonesia's independence dating back to the
1920s.

Indonesia proclaimed its independence on Aug. 17, 1945,
immediately after the end of World War II to preempt the return
of the Netherlands' colonial forces.

All did not go smoothly at the two-day congress attended by
the few survivors of the independence movement, and some, despite
their age, were as critical as they had been in their youth.

The association's strength has dwindled from an original
13,000 members to a mere 600 now. Their average age is 80.

Association chairman Yusuf Mawengkang, who was re-elected at
this week's congress, in his attempt to maintain the existence of
the organization, proposed the inclusion of members' offsprings
in the board so they could take on the cause of maintaining the
spirit of the independence fighters.

His proposal apparently did not go down well with some of the
delegates, who said that the association would lose its "purity"
by allowing the younger generation to join in.

The rebel members, in letters sent to several government
officials, complained that Yusuf was authoritarian in running the
congress and in pushing his concepts upon the participants. (emb)