Prayers, demos prior to session

Prayers, demos prior to session

JAKARTA (JP): Even as preparations for the Special Session of
the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) shifted into high gear,
groups of proponents and opponents staged "trial" demonstrations
on Thursday ahead of the Nov. 10-13 session.

Around 70,000 Moslems assembled at Senayan Sports Stadium in
South Jakarta to pray for the success of the session, while a
much smaller group of 300 students staged a separate
demonstration at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central
Jakarta to demand President B.J. Habibie's resignation. The
second group also demanded the establishment of a transitional
government to replace Habibie's administration.

"We appeal to those who plan to disrupt the Assembly's Special
Session in violent, anarchic and unconstitutional ways, to
refrain from doing so," demonstration leader Mannarul Hidayat of
the Al Mahbubiyah Islamic boarding school said.

The group also called on Indonesian Moslems to help maintain
national unity.

In the second demonstration, the students called for an end to
Habibie's administration and urged the public to reject the
Special Session of the Assembly.

Separately, former student activist Moh. Jumhur Hidayat called
on activists opposed to and in favor of the Special Session to
avoid physical clashes in demonstrations during the four-day
session.

"Clashes would only tarnish the image of students and the
nation," said Jumhur, now a researcher at the Center of
Information and Development Studies (CIDES), a think-tank
affiliated to the Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals
(ICMI) whose first chairman was President B.J. Habibie.

On Wednesday, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN)
Amien Rais also called on opposing groups to refrain from using
force to express their demands for reform, saying to do so would
only provoke a "civil war."

"Those who disapprove of the session should not use force...
as they will be confronted by larger groups of people who support
the session," he said.

It has been reported that many groups plan to stage
demonstrations while the MPR's 1,000 legislators are in session
to deliberate rulings on next year's general and presidential
elections.

A group of activists opposed to the session reportedly planned
to "take over" the office of the State Minister of Youth Affairs
and Sports during the session. The office lies near to where the
Assembly will convene.

Antara said the activists included individuals from the
Students Front, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the
Communication Forum of the Jakarta Student Senate (FKSMJ), the
People's Democratic Alliance (Aldera), the Indonesian Prosperous
Workers Union (SBSI), supporters of the faction of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) lead by Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the
National Coalition.

Activists grouped in an organization they called People's
Action (Akrab) were reportedly planning to occupy the
House/Assembly building. Those planning the occupation included
members of Forkot (a loose association of students from 37
colleges), Kirab, Gempur and Gagas, all of which are acronyms for
student and political opposition groups.

It was also reported that groups of supporters of the
government-sponsored Special Session were preparing counter-
demonstrations at the House/Assembly building.

The complex itself has been put under tight guard by the
military backed up by civilian volunteers.

Jumhur said opponents of the session were deluding themselves
if they thought they could topple President B.J. Habibie's
administration by preventing the meeting from taking place.

"The situation is now different from the previous one, when
people had a common enemy, namely president Soeharto," he said.
"Now there are those who are against Habibie, but there are also
a lot of people who support him."

Separately, in Semarang, 2,000 Moslem students staged a
demonstration in front of the Central Java provincial legislative
council to call for national unity against anarchic and
irresponsible groups of people. They did not mention any names.

"Let's show the world that Indonesians are a civilized and
united people, and cannot easily be divided," the students said.

The students, grouped in the People's Action Solidarity for
Unity, reminded passersby of the importance of establishing a
credible and accountable government through a "direct, general,
confidential, free and honest" general election.

They also demanded that former president Soeharto be brought
to trial for his role in bringing the Indonesian economy to the
point of collapse, an end to the imposition of the state
Pancasila ideology on all organizations and the abolition of
Armed Forces' sociopolitical role.

Earlier on Wednesday, dozens of Yogyakarta students staged a
similar demonstration on the Gadjah Mada University campus.
(imn/aan/23/44/har)