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)