Makassar protesters raise Sulawesi separatist flag

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Thousands of student protesters here forced Governor HZB Palaguna to witness on Monday the lowering of the red-and-white national flag and the hoisting of a green flag of an independent Sulawesi state during a rally at his office.

"The flag was raised at the Governor's office to symbolize that the local government recognizes the establishment of an independent Sulawesi state," Iswari Al Farisy, the spokesman for Makassar Students Forum, told The Jakarta Post.

The green flag bears the map of Sulawesi island.

The students, from various universities across the city, returned to the streets after a semblance of calm on Sunday. They began the demonstration on Thursday.

"We are not playing games nor showing off force or seeking popularity. We seriously want to establish a free Sulawesi state," Alimuddin of the Muslim Makassar University said.

In Monday's protest, the students took to the streets in a motorcade. They burned tires along the way to the gubernatorial office and staged a demonstration in front of the Kompas daily's representative office, accusing the paper of not showing professionalism in its coverage.

After hours of negotiations, Governor Palaguna, who initially resisted a demand to attend the ceremony, stepped out of his office under tight security to see the students.

The students also sang the national anthem Indonesia Raya, but changed "Indonesia" to "Sulawesi".

Palaguna is scheduled to fly to Jakarta on Tuesday to meet President Abdurrahman Wahid to discuss the four days of protest, SCTV reported.

Many have regarded the protest as an emotional outburst after the province's local hero, former president B.J. Habibie, failed to run for the presidential race, but others believe the demand was a true public aspiration.

A lecturer from the Jakarta-based State Academy of Islamic Studies (IAIN), Azyumardi Azra, said the four days of protest in the province was a part of the accumulated problems of the country.

"The demand for a free state is only the tip of the iceberg of problems and disappointments that have never been resolved by the central government," Azyumardi said.

A People's Consultative Assembly legislator, Jusuf Kalla, said the students' demand for a separate state should be seriously taken into account, although many suspect that the movement was a short-lived phenomenon.

"The demand is one of the manifested public aspirations," said businessman Jusuf, a Golkar legislator who represents the province.

He called on the country's newly elected leaders, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri, to not immediately accuse the students of waging treason.

A local sociologist and anthropologist from the Hasanuddin University, Abu Hamid, suggested that the government consider offering provinces wide-ranging autonomy or endorsing a federal state, which would be better than separating from Indonesia.

"The choice of having a federal nation is better than disintegrating this nation into several free states," Hamid said.

Assembly Speaker Amien Rais supported Hamid's view.

"Federalism gives more room to human rights protection, fair revenue sharing and decentralization of power," Amien told a group of students who claimed to represent the Eastern Indonesia Community Forum on Monday in Jakarta.

During the meeting, the students read out their statement to get the government's attention on what they called past injustices.

"For decades in Indonesian history, Javanese leaders were elected unopposed," regretted forum leader Abdul Hafid Parorda.

"After all these wasted opportunities, the only way to achieve justice and a state of welfare in a new Indonesia is to set up a federal state or to be free."

Meanwhile, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto urged the students on Monday to stop their rallies and restore peace.

"There is no use to demand an independent Sulawesi or an independent Makassar," Wiranto told an audience of 12,000 military and police officers in a speech at the Senayan Sports Complex on Monday morning.

"The government and the Indonesian Military (TNI) reached an agreement at the General Session that Indonesia will remain as one and that Sulawesi is to be a part of it."

"Personally, I understand that these demonstrations are emotional expressions of current times. One should never take possibly irrevocable steps based on emotion."

Wiranto urged the nation's residents to honor the decision taken in the country's highest legislative body, and urged the students to work at keeping the country free of unnecessary fear. (27/30/04/05/emf/ylt)