Pro and anti-Abdurrahman street rallies continue

JAKARTA (JP): Street rallies conducted by pro and anti- President Abdurrahman Wahid supporters continued in some cities on Monday amid debate about the effectiveness of such political maneuvers, which could lead to physical clashes among the masses.

In the Central Java capital of Semarang some 20,000 supporters of the President, mostly followers of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and National Awakening Party (PKB), held an istikhotsah (mass prayer) at the town square in the district of Watucongol, Magelang, on Monday.

Abdurrahman chaired the NU for 15 years, before being elected President in 1999, and was the founder of PKB.

Participants in the mass prayer came from the regencies of Boyolali, Semarang, Demak and Salatiga.

Officials from the provincial administration were also in attendance.

Led by dozens of ulemas, the prayers expressed hope that Abdurrahman would retain the presidency until 2004.

They also prayed that the nation's unity would survive the looming threat of disintegration.

The event coordinator, Abdul Kadir Karding, who is also secretary of the PKB's Central Java chapter, said that the mass prayer was an expression of the people's concern about the current situation in the country.

"At the grass roots level people have been killing each other," he said, referring to the recent ethnic cleansing massacre in Central Kalimantan.

"At the top level, the political elites have also been attacking each other," he added.

Following the mass prayer, the participants left the square, chanting pro-Abdurrahman slogans.

The night before, as many as 1,000 children of Christian and Muslim orphanages in Semarang held a joint prayer for the safety of the country.

A. Suhari, the coordinator, said that the children wished that a miracle would occur in the country, saving it from dangers posed by the unresolved crises.

In the West Sumatra capital of Padang, some 500 students grouped in the Bung Hatta University's Student Executive Board (BEM) took over the state Radio Republik Indonesia studio to air their stance against the President.

The students also seized the photographs of Abdurrahman displayed in government offices and entered the Singgalang and Padang Express editorial offices to confiscate pictures of the President.

The rally began with speeches at the Bung Hatta University campus in the morning, after which the protesters traveled around the city on six public buses.

Some of them got off the buses and entered the provincial legislative council building to remove all pictures of the President from the building's walls.

All of the actions culminated in the occupation of RRI.

In Palembang, South Sumatra, on Monday, at least 300 people from various universities and organizations prohibited Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid from setting foot on Palembang soil before he quit his post.

The students also called on all offices to remove Abdurrahman's pictures from their walls.

Protesters of the Sriwijaya University's BEM, the Muhammadiyah University, The Moslem University and the Indonesian Muslim Students Association (HMI) marched to the provincial legislature and read out six demands, including the prohibition of Gus Dur from visiting Palembang and removal of the President's photographs.

They threatened to stage larger protests if their demands are not met. (har/28/33/ylt/sur)