'No provocateurs' in Semarang clash

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Chief of Diponegoro Military Command, which oversees Central Java, Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo ruled out on Monday the possibility that people had masterminded a clash between supporters of Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) in Semarang on Sunday.

Bibit said after installing the new chief of Wirastrama military overseeing Surakarta and its four neighboring regencies, Col. Heri Sudibyo, that he had yet to find evidence that provocateurs were involved in the Semarang violence, in which two people were injured and 10 vehicles burned.

"The incident stemmed from a misunderstanding between the two parties," Bibit said in an attempt to play down the brawl, the latest of a series of clashes between party supporters that have rocked the province ahead of the June 7 elections.

The violence erupted when a group of PDI Perjuangan supporters demanded the release of a friend who was reportedly being held captive in a Golkar branch office in the provincial capital on Jl. Veteran. The Golkar supporters allegedly took the PDI Perjuangan activist, identified as Joko Maryanto, hostage and stabbed him because of an offensive remark he made.

Another PDI Perjuangan supporter, Sumaryono, went to the Golkar office to negotiate his release. But he was stabbed before he could talk to those present.

The angry PDI Perjuangan crowd attacked the office and set alight seven motorcycles and three cars belonging to Golkar supporters in retaliation for the stabbing. Security troops were called to prevent the clash from escalating and evacuate the Golkar supporters.

The clash broke out just hours after civilian security personnel of all parties contesting the polls made a peace accord.

Bibit suggested on Monday that local leaders of the two parties call a truce as soon as possible to prevent the conflict spilling over into other parts of the province.

"Never sow hatred and desire of vengeance. I beg for cooperation with all parties because we, the security authorities, cannot work alone," Bibit said.

Governor Mardiyanto also called on the conflicting parties to settle their dispute through deliberation.

"They are brothers, so a family-like way of settlement is preferable. It would be great if both of them could understand the importance of unity," Mardiyanto said.

However, he said it was up now to the conflicting parties whether to pursue a legal settlement or an out-of-court arrangement. "The violence was criminal in nature," he said.

The provincial police chief, Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi, said the police were investigating the case.

Unfair takeover

In Jakarta, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung suspected that violence against his party depicted an unfair attempt at a power takeover by certain parties.

He was commenting on a series of hostile receptions at the party's functions across Java recently. Akbar reportedly last escaped being ambushed by a group of people wearing attributes of PDI Perjuangan and the National Awakening Party (PKB) while on party business in Jember, East Java, on Sunday. A helicopter was used to remove him from the danger of possible attack.

"Those who want to take over, please do it in a fair way. If they use violence before assuming power, I don't know what would happen if they realized their goal," Akbar said at a party function in Penggilingan, East Jakarta, on Monday.

Akbar, who began his new life as an ordinary man on Monday after resigning as minister/state secretary, said Golkar would support whoever won the general election, provided victory was achieved in a peaceful and fair manner.

"We don't want to see people and national unity sacrificed," he said.

Golkar, the ruling party, has become the target of criticism for upholding the New Order authoritarian regime under Soeharto and allowing corruption, collusion and nepotistic practices to prevail in the country the past three decades.

Akbar suggested that his party supporters practice restraint, but hinted that their patience had a limit.

Attacks on Golkar did not stop on Monday when dozens of unidentified people stole and burned down Golkar flags in West Nusa Tenggara. The incident took place on Jl. Bung Hatta and in Dasan Agung subdistrict in the provincial capital of Mataram and in Telagawaru village in West Lombok regency.

Head of Golkar's Mataram branch, Ruslan, said he suspected rival parties were behind the insult.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, the provincial election committee found only 224 out of 717 legislative candidates had submitted the required documents.

Deputy chairman of the committee Usman Sondang said most of the legislative candidates did not attach photographs, original documents or include signatures of their chairpersons.

Usman said the committee dropped the nomination of 45 legislative candidates due to technical problems. Thirteen of them came from the Indonesian Syarikat Islam Party. (29/38/44/har/amd)