Police identify hardliners threatening MPR session
Damar Harsanto and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb said on Tuesday the police had identified several radical groups that might threaten the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session, which is slated for Nov. 1 to Nov. 8.
"We've identified several hardliner groups that might aggressively pursue their demands during the MPR session," Sofjan told the press after a parade of police officers to secure the annual meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly here on Tuesday.
His comments were a reference to the radical groups that are insisting on the inclusion of the Jakarta Charter in the 1945 Constitution, but he declined to name the groups.
Discussion on the inclusion of the Jakarta Charter in the 1945 Constitution re-emerged in September when Vice President Hamzah Haz, who also chairs the United Development Party (PPP), said in a statement that the inclusion would not threaten non-Islamic religions in the country.
But the proposal was rejected by the major parties, Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan). Indonesia's two largest Muslim organizations -- Nadhatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah -- also rejected the charter's implementation, saying that it would only provoke religious disharmony.
The Jakarta Charter, intended to form the basis of the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution, attracted considerable debate at the time over the wording "obliging its followers to exercise Islamic laws". The charter was later dropped from the Constitution.
Sofjan said the police would keep an eye on the radical groups and pledged to take stern measures if their protests led to violence.
"The police will allow them to express their opinions as long as they do not resort to anarchy," he said.
Sofjan said, however, that the police would carry out any stern actions properly and in accordance with the existing law.
The police will be deploying around 42,000 personnel to safeguard the Assembly session.
The question of possible disturbances during the Assembly session was raised by National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro during the coordinating meeting on political and security affairs on Tuesday.
"We have indications that certain groups might try to disrupt the session, which has as its agenda the amending of the 1945 Constitution. They will especially be demanding the insertion of Syariat Islam (Islamic law) into the Constitution," State Minister for Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif told reporters after the meeting.
"Even though the National Police chief has ensured that the police would secure the event, he told us that they were facing financial problems as the Assembly's secretary-general has yet to disburse the funds for securing the event," he said.
When asked how much the police were asking for to provide security at the event, Syamsul said: "Ask the Assembly."
Syamsul also refused to identify the groups that might try to disrupt the Assembly session.
The meeting, chaired by Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was also attended by, among others, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil, and the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago,