President set to explain 'Black Friday'

President set to explain 'Black Friday'

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie spent his weekend meeting
with community leaders to convince them that his administration
was taking measures to restore order to Indonesia's social and
political life.

During a Sunday morning meeting with members of the National
Commission on Human Rights at his Kuningan residence in South
Jakarta, Habibie promised to issue an account of the unrest that
marred the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly
last week. He said he would address the nation after receiving
reports from the security authorities and members of the public.

"The government has yet to decide whether to set up a team to
investigate the incident," Minister/State Secretary Akbar
Tandjung said after the meeting with Baharuddin Lopa, Miriam
Budiardjo, Marzuki Darusman, Albert Hasibuan, Dos Reis Amaral,
Kusparmono Irsan and Syamsuddin.

Marzuki said the commission members had urged Habibie to
explain the clashes between security personnel and demonstrators
in which at least 15 people died.

Marzuki criticized the confusing and contradictory statements
so far issued by the authorities. Before the MPR session
commenced, he said, officials had vowed they were ready to go to
great lengths to avoid clashes, but this had proved to be untrue
and the government was unable to handle the demonstrations
effectively.

"The commission will not make any judgment because that would
be unfair, given that we do not have all the facts," Baharuddin
Lopa, the commission's secretary-general, added.

During a meeting with Amien Rais on Saturday, Habibie conceded
that provided the nation was ready, the MPR could convene in a
General Session and establish a new government two weeks after
the general election scheduled for next May.

Amien, who is chairman of the National Mandate Party and a
leader of the reform movement, said in Surakarta, Central Java,
that Habibie had yielded and agreed there was no need for the
nation to wait six months for a new administration to be put in
place.

Amien, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Abdurrahman Wahid and Sri
Sultan Hamengkubuwono X declared last week that a new government
must be in place within three months of the general election.

Habibie had scheduled the presidential election for December
1999, six months after the proposed date for the general
election.

The declaration, which has become known as the Ciganjur
Declaration because it was drafted and issued at Abdurrahman's
residence in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, also delineated a plan that
would remove the military from the country's legislatures within
six years.

"Pak Habibie told me three months would be too short, (make
it) six months," Amien was quoted by Antara as saying. "I met
with Pak Habibie last night (Saturday) we (agreed not to) bang
our heads together.

"We (the Ciganjur group and the public) will not be obstinate
(in our demand) for three months, but Pak Habibie must not be
obstinate (and insist on) six months," Amien said.

"If the election is over and the new MPR is ready to convene
within three months, why not? Finally, Pak Habibie said 'all
right then, if things are ready within two weeks, go ahead, the
MPR can establish a new government'," he said.

Amien then called on the nation to join in efforts to maintain
security until a new government has been established. "There
shouldn't be any more political earthquakes like (last week in
Jakarta," he said.

"Everyone must show restraint and the Armed Forces should side
with the people, rather than serving the elite," he said.

He also said that if Habibie's administration proved unable to
carry out the Assembly's mandate, his party would withdraw their
support for him.

However Amien said that he would not convene an alternative
"assembly session", saying that would be irresponsible.

"(For some people) it would probably be satisfying if they
could say they had toppled Habibie or disrupted Jakarta ... but
that would cause great damage to Indonesia," he said.

Separately, two organizations have demanded that the
government begin an investigation of the unrest in Jakarta last
week and take action against those found to be responsible for
it.

The United Development Party (PPP) said in a statement that it
supported the legitimate government and called on the security
authorities exercise prudence when facing situations that pose a
potential threat to national unity.

The party also warned "political brokers" against dividing the
people for the sake of furthering their own political ambitions.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Moslem Forum said in a statement
here on Monday that it rejected anarchy and subversion and would
support the government's campaign to implement the decrees issued
by the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

"We reject all forms of violence and anarchy which,
consciously or otherwise, have become the modus operandi of
radical groups seeking to topple the legitimate government," the
forum was quoted as saying by Antara.

The forum groups a number of Islamic organizations including
the Council for Islamic Propagation, Muhammadiyah Youth and the
Moslem Youth Movement.

In a statement, another group of figures denounced certain
parties' use and manipulation of "religious symbols" to stir up
trouble and spark unrest.

Among signatories to the statement were politician Sri Bintang
Pamungkas, rights activist Munir and student activist Andi Arief.
(swe/prb/aan)