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)