Moslem leader decries attacks on Chinese property

Moslem leader decries attacks on Chinese property

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Amien Rais, leader of the 28-million-strong
Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, denounced yesterday attacks on
property owned by the Indonesian Chinese community.

Amien told reporters after a grand rally in this historic city
that protests should be directed at the government, Reuters
reported.

"I think my government has an absolute duty to supply enough
rice and other basic needs to the people," he said. "The stomach
cannot wait..."

Ethnic Chinese shopowners have borne the brunt of recent
rioting and looting mainly in Java as the rural poor, who
seemingly have little comprehension of the cause of the nation's
economic crisis, blame them for rising prices.

Rais said he "condemned" the attacks against the Indonesian
Chinese community.

"The Chinese are also our brothers and they have become a part
and parcel of this integrated nation," he said at the rally.

"(The protesters) have to direct their anger and protests at
the government as the government must be held responsible in this
messy situation."

About 40,000 people participated in the rally held by
Muhammadiyah at the Mandala Krida stadium here yesterday.

Participants, coming from various towns across Java, began to
pack the 25,000-seat soccer stadium since early in the morning,
shrugging off the drizzle that sporadically fell throughout the
day.

Traffic was severely congested around the stadium and eased
only after the rally ended at 11 a.m.

A group of Muhammadiyah members from as far as Pasuruan in
East Java, some 450 kilometers east of here, arrived here two
weeks ago and stayed at a nearby hotel so they could participate
in the rally.

Notables present at the rally included Yogyakarta military
chief Col. Djoko Santosa, military attache of the United States
Embassy to Indonesia Edmond Williams and Surakarta chief of the
United Development Party (PPP) Mudrick Sangidoe.

Prior to the rally, Djoko led a grand parade of thousands of
Muhammadiyah youths prepared to help security authorities
maintain public order during the General Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly in March.

The Muhammadiyah members swarmed the stadium for a post-Idul
Fitri celebration, and most of all to hear the speech delivered
by Amien, who is a renowned government critic.

Amien read out a 10-point message which was primarily aimed at
the country's leaders to be elected during and after the Assembly
session.

"We call on our national leaders selected in March to confirm
their determination to set up a clean government. Up to now
people have yet to see concrete measures to eradicate corruption,
collusion and nepotism," Amien said.

Amien urged the government to halt abuses of power committed
by its officials who looked to make personal gains from their
office.

He also asked the future national leaders to seek ways to
preserve natural resources, which was in the interest of the
country's 202 million people.

"The new government must take a sharp turn by not allowing a
few individuals to control hundreds of millions of hectares of
our tropical forests and our abundant mine reserves," Amien said.

He warned the government of economic collapse if it failed to
get rid of conglomerations raised through nepotism and
monopolistic practices.

In Semarang, over 1,000 Moslems from Muhammadiyah and another
large Moslem organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, attended a mass
prayer at Baiturrahman Mosque. The people prayed for national
unity while the country faced economic crisis and geared up for
the Assembly session. (Tedy Novan/43/swa/har/amd)