Police identify hardliners threatening MPR session
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,