NU supporters told not to near House compound
JAKARTA (JP): Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi urged on Thursday the participants in Sunday's mass prayer rally to return home immediately once the event was over in order to allow the House of Representatives session the next day to proceed undisturbed.
"None of the NU supporters are allowed to come close to the House compound while the legislature is in session. Let the session take place in peace," Hasyim said after meeting with a number of Muslim leaders at the NU offices in Central Jakarta.
Present at the meeting were, among others, Abdul Rasyid Syafiie of the Asyafiiyah Islamic boarding school, Syaifachruddin of the Indonesian Committee for World Moslem Solidarity (KISDI), Kholil Badawi of the Muslim Propagation Council (DDI), intelligence assistant to the National Police chief Insp. Gen. Arsyaad Mbai, and NU deputy chairman Achmad Bagdja and deputy secretary-general Masduki Baidlawi.
The meeting was called by NU executives to give assurances that the mass prayer, which President Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur as he is familiarly known, is slated to attend, would not entail any political message.
Over 400,000 NU supporters from across Java are expected to flood the east parking lot of the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex for the rally.
Many of them, however, have pledged to stay in the city until Monday in a show of support for the beleaguered President, who is expected to be handed a second House censure.
In anticipation of disturbances during or between the two events, security authorities have prepared 17,000 personnel from the National Police and Indonesian Military. This number may increase to 23,000 if the situation turns ugly. Should a critical stage be reached, 42,000 personnel will be deployed.
While Abdul Rasyid welcomed the planned mass prayer, he nevertheless said he would not encourage his followers to participate.
"Let the event belong to the NU. I will ask my jamaah (followers) to pray in their own residences or mosques," Rasyid said.
On foot of widespread fears of unrest, earlier in the day Hasyim met the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Ralf J. Boyce at the Regent Hotel to assure him that the mass prayer would go off peacefully and that he could control the NU masses.
Many foreign missions here have reportedly requested security personnel to be stationed at their compounds.
Separately, the Forum for Peace Indonesia (FID) voiced its concern that the people were being placed in a dangerous situation due to the political conflict and the resulting violence being perpetrated on behalf of certain political interests.
"We expect Gus Dur to urge his followers not to come to Jakarta, or to ask those who have entered the capital to return home," FID member and noted Catholic scholar Franz Magniz Suseno told a press conference.
"No more violence is acceptable here," Franz said.
Also present at the press conference were former finance minister Mari'e Muhammad, activist and stage actress Ratna Sarumpaet, sociologists Imam B. Prasodjo and Melly G. Tan, and the Justice Party (PK)'s chairman Hidayat Nur Wahid.
When asked whether the FID could facilitate the finding of a solution to the current political turmoil, Mari'e said that the big five among the country's political parties, namely the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), and the National Mandate Party (PAN), must sit down together for a dialog.
"Since their dispute has affected the country's security, they will also have to invite the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief and the National Police chief along to the dialog," Mari'e said.
Separately, the Jakarta Police announced they had deployed plainclothes intelligence officers for special security duties in at least eight hot spots in the Central Jakarta area in connection with the possibility that these spots could be used to conceal "snipers or hit men".
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said the eight spots included the Mulia Hotel, the Hilton Hotel, the Manggala Wanabhakti compound, and hotels and buildings in the area of the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
"This sort of deployment is necessary in case there are snipers or people who would open fire at random from these buildings to cause chaos," Anton told reporters.
Anton added that maximum security efforts would be mainly concentrated in the Senayan area.
He said that up to 6,000 officers would be deployed in the vicinity of the House compound alone; 500 officers in the area of the Taman Ria Senayan amusement park; 600 officers around the Pulau Dua restaurant next to the Taman Ria flyover; 450 officers in the Manggala Wanabhakti compound; 350 officers in the area of the Senayan shooting range; 250 officers around the state-owned TVRI television station; 1,000 officers in the vicinity of Suropati Park in Menteng, Central Jakarta; and about 300 officers in the vicinity of the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
Anton added that no civilians would be allowed to participate in security operations from April 29 onwards. (02/ylt)