KISDI denies wishing to provoke students
KISDI denies wishing to provoke students
JAKARTA (JP): Activists grouped in the Moslem Committee for
Constitutional Reform have denied provoking tension at the House
of Representatives last Friday.
Ahmad Sumargono, from the Indonesian Committee for World
Moslem Solidarity (KISDI), told journalists here yesterday the
group did not come to the House to pick a fight.
"We came to support constitutional reform, not merely for
(President) B.J. Habibie," Ahmad said.
Ahmad said it was the group's right to support Habibie or
whomever else it chose.
"If Habibie fails to carry out things like (former president)
Soeharto did, we will also be critical of him," Ahmad said
without elaborating.
Ahmad called on the public to give Habibie a chance to carry
out his duty to bring the country out of economic and political
turmoil.
The group said in a two-page statement that it even had to
call off its planned meeting with House members Friday to prevent
a possible clash with students occupying the compound.
"We wonder why we Indonesian citizens, who also have the same
rights as the students, were prevented from entering the
building," the statement said.
The group, however, still expressed respect for the students
for pioneering the reform movement.
A clash almost erupted Friday when 1,500 Habibie supporters
marched into the House compound to confront students staging an
anti-Habibie rally.
No serious incidents were reported, but light scuffles and
heated arguments occurred when Habibie supporters hauled down
banners criticizing the new president which the students had
erected.
The Habibie supporters claimed to be members of the Islamic
Youth Movement (GPI), the Indonesian Communication Forum of Youth
and Teenager Mosque Activists and KISDI.
Habibie was sworn in as president Thursday, ending the 32-year
presidency of Soeharto following mounting pressure for the latter
to quit.
Hundreds of military personnel flushed students out of the
House building peacefully early Saturday morning. (byg)