No civilian militias allowed at MPR building

No civilian militias allowed at MPR building

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Nurfaizi called on all civilian militias on Monday to stay away from the Senayan legislative building complex during the upcoming Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) next week.

He said the civilian militias' presence at the building complex would only trigger clashes among different militia groups.

"It's the police's task to maintain security and order during the MPR Annual Session.

"It will be better if the civilian militias remain at their respective residences, maintaining order in their areas," he told The Jakarta Post and Kompas daily at his office.

Civilian militias currently present in the capital are, among others, Banser of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization's youth wing of Ansor and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's Task Force, Satgas.

NU youth activists vowed recently that they would mobilize Banser members should President Abdurrahman Wahid, a former NU chairman, be toppled from his presidency in the session.

Nurfaize, a two-star general, said the police were capable of maintaining order and security in the capital during the annual political event without the help of any militias.

"Our forces are ready to be deployed. We have even coordinated with the City Military Command for immediate deployment of military personnel should the situation turn bad," he said.

Nurfaizi said the City Police had made necessary preparations on where and in what situation the military personnel could be deployed.

"However, the details of the plan will remain our secret," he said, adding that the plan also utilized the People's Security (Kamra) and back-up force from the National Police Headquarters.

Earlier on Thursday, Nurfaizi said a total of 66,304 security personnel from the Jakarta Police and several provincial police forces would be deployed during the event.

"City Police will deploy 19,107 combined personnel from the police and the Military, some 14,926 are police officers with the remaining 4,181 being from the Military," he said while addressing a plenary meeting of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) discussing security preparations for the annual event.

"The remaining 47,197 security personnel will be requested from provincial police headquarters in Lampung, and West and Central Java."

He added that the number of personnel securing the Annual Session could be increased should the situation worsen.

Nurfaizi said the civilian militias could still air their aspirations although they would not be allowed to participate in safeguarding the Annual Session.

"The militias, including other interest groups, can address their interests to the legislators. They should not be in a big group ... they can send some five to six representatives to the legislative building," he said.

He said that sending representatives to the building complex would be better than staging protests as that might trigger unrest.

"Our people are bored with such protests. They now dream of calm political situations that foster better economic conditions," he said.

Nurfaizi said that no civilian militias or interest groups had officially filed proposals to stage protests.

"However, we will establish crisis centers in the City Police Headquarters and other police precincts so that all political and social groups and local respected figures are represented in the centers," he said, adding that the crisis centers would be opened on Aug. 5.

In the centers, he said, police personnel and the representatives of the groups would coordinate to keep order and security in the capital during the session.

The MPR Annual Session is scheduled to be held from Aug. 7 until Aug. 16. (asa)