Pro- and antigovt rallies staged in several cities

Pro- and antigovt rallies staged in several cities

JAKARTA (JP): More students and youths turned out for rallies
against and in support of the government on Thursday as the
investigation into President Abdurrahman Wahid's alleged
involvement in two financial scandals came close to its finale.

Thousands of students from universities and academies in
Jakarta held a gathering at the Management and Information
Technology Institute (Stemik) campus in Rawamangun, East Jakarta,
calling for the President's resignation due to his government's
failure to live up to its pledge of instituting sweeping reform.

"President Abdurrahman Wahid should step down voluntarily as a
result of the government's failure to bring about economic
recovery, restore security and order and enforce the law,"
Burhanuddin, who spoke on behalf of the senates of 13
universities, institutes and academies, said.

The universities and academies were, among others, the Krisna
Dwipayana University (Unkris), Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic
Institute (IAIN), Indonesian Academy of Management (AMI) and
Jakarta National University (UNJ).

Burhanuddin said that corrupt, collusive and nepotistic
practices remained prevalent in the bureaucracy and even the
President was implicated in the two scandals popularly referred
to as Bruneigate and Buloggate.

In the defense and security fields, the government was able to
make neither the people or foreign investors feel secure as a
result of the prevailing political instability and legal
uncertainties.

"The government's failure is connected with the way in which
the President has led the nation. He is part of the problem," he
said.

The protesters then joined thousands of other students and
youths in an antigovernment rally in front of the House of
Representatives, demanding a transparent conclusion to the
House's investigation into Buloggate and Bruneigate.

One of the students suggested a forcible ouster of the
President if he refused to step down voluntarily for his alleged
involvement in the two scandals.

The demonstrators said they would attend the House's Jan. 29
plenary session which will reveal those allegedly involved in the
scandals.

The noisy rallies came amid calls issued by the security
authorities urging both those in favor of and those against the
government to exercise restraint and maintain peace and order.

"We expect people not to cause disorder in Jakarta due to
serious implications this would have. We call on people to keep
the capital safe," Coordinating Minister for Political, Social
and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said, adding that
both the government and police would remain on the alert for
possible clashes.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto aired a similar
message, asking people to avoid mass mobilization when expressing
their support for or criticism of the government.

"Based on our experience, there are always infiltrators
present when we get a large crowd. They take advantage of the
crowd," Endriartono said after briefing Jakarta Military Command
staff on Thursday.

In order to allay tension, the chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama
youth wing Ansor, Syaifullah Yusuf, renewed his pledge that none
of the organization's activists would take to the street to
counter antigovernment protests on Monday.

Separately, hundreds of students from Bengkulu University, the
University of Indonesia and the Bogor Institute of Agriculture
(IPB) joined in demanding the dissolution of the Golkar Party
which they accused of protecting corruptors loyal to former
president Soeharto's New Order regime.

Another rally was held in Makassar, South Sulawesi, where some
100 students and youths gathered at the provincial legislature to
ask for a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly
to impeach the President for his alleged role in financial and
extramarital scandals.

Agus Haikal, coordinator of the demonstration, said the two
cases provided adequate legal grounds for the Assembly to impeach
the President.

In Surabaya, East Java, the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), National Awakening Party (PKB), Golkar
Party, National Mandate Party (PAN) and United Development Party
(PPP) factions in the East Java provincial legislature issued a
joint communique urging that the national leadership of
Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri be maintained until
2004.

"The joint statement represents the voice of the people in
this province who are longing for the peace that is needed for
democracy to flourish," Fathurrosyid, chairman of the PKB
faction, said.

In Bandung, West Java, the provincial legislature and the
Indonesia Youth Forum called for an end to the conflict in the
political elite, for fear that it could spread to the grassroots
in the regions. (02/25/27/dja/nur/rms)