Politicians warn of vested interests

JAKARTA (JP): Politicians and youth activists warned on Tuesday that groups with political agendas were playing on people's mutual suspicions to divide and conquer.

Since 1996, unsolved investigations into riots with religious overtones led the leaders to state their conviction they would remain a mystery and that people must work to overcome prevalent distrust, Antara reported. Fourteen were killed on Sunday in riots which damaged several buildings, including churches.

Voicing concern were the chairman of the People's Awakening Party Matori Abdul Djalil, coordinator of the Movement for Justice and Unity of Indonesia Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, Nahdlatul Ulama intellectual Said Agil Siradj, Arnold Purba of the Solidaritas Nusa Bangsa, Helmi Faishal of the Indonesian Moslem Student Action Front, Faisol Reza of the Democratic People's Party, the Nadhlatul Ulama Youth Generation, Dadang Trisasongko of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and R. Tjiptoning of the Megawati Soekarnoputri Supporters Committee.

Sarwono urged everybody to focus efforts making the reform era a reality. "It's clear that there has been a counterproductive reaction from parties who do not like the public's capability to uphold their sovereignty in this republic."

He believed the creation of chaos would enable the rise of "an authoritarian regime" amid widespread "apathy and despair".

"What's tragic is that we are about to face a general election," he said, adding it remains the strongest political means to establish a democratic and legitimate government.

Criticizing the government of President B.J. Habibie was less important, Sarwono said. Conflicts marked by religious overtones are a clear manifestation of how people are being pitted against each other, he added.

"That (the division) is directed at a huge mass basis... what's deplorable is that there have been too many wasted casualties just because of some groups' political ambition."

Of the Sunday riots in Ketapang, West Jakarta, Matori said the destruction of religious sites reflected "deliberate acts" aimed to destroy interfaith tolerance. Said Agil said: "We must now foster the understanding... that to damage a church is tantamount to damaging a mosque, and vice versa."

Since 1996, he added, riots were started by exploiting religious issues, such as the damaging of places of worship.

He cited riots in Tasikmalaya in West Java, Situbondo in East Java, and the recent mysterious killings mainly in East and Central Java which have claimed over 200 lives.

Said Agil said he was "not optimistic" that closure would be reached on the Ketapang riots, the military-student clashes of Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 which claimed 16 lives and treason charges against public figures. (aan)