Riots incited by disparity, scholars say

Riots incited by disparity, scholars say

JAKARTA (JP): Observers have asked the government to look
deeper for the causes of recent violence, saying that prevailing
social and economic inequity is providing fertile soil in which
communism can flourish.

The observers said that it was the inequity which should be
addressed if the whole community wished to solve the problems
left behind by the July 27 riots, that erupted following the
forced takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
headquarters by Soerjadi from his rival Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The government has blamed the unrecognized Democratic People's
Party (PRD) for the riots, accusing it of communist-like
activities.

"The gap between the rich and the poor has reached an alarming
level, and it can become a fertile ground for communism,"
businessman Sofyan Wanandi said yesterday.

Speaking to reporters after attending the 70th birthday
celebrations for former education minister Daoed Yoesoef, Sofyan
said that as bad as they were, the riots did not have a serious
impact on the government's development programs.

"The whole society, however, needs to introspect and evaluate
how well we have achieved the goals of national development,"
Sofyan said. "The rioting showed that there's something wrong in
our society, something which must be corrected."

Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of the 30-million strong Nahdlatul
Ulama Moslem Organization, seconded Sofyan's opinion.

Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, said social and economic
disparities have created an accumulation of psychological tension
among people, which may be released by violence.

"Once the tension is released, the crisis is over. We,
however, have to find out the real roots of the problems," he
said.

He also mentioned people's poor understanding of the Armed
Forces and insufficient reconciliation as causes of the unrest.

Military analyst Lt. Gen. (ret) Hasnan Habib deplored the
riots and said that a complete resolution to the conflict in the
PDI, which triggered the unrest, now depended entirely on the
government

"The government shouldn't have recognized Soerjadi just like
that. It should gather all of the conflicting parties and tell
them to find an acceptable solution through dialog," Hasnan said.

Hasnan, however, believed that the Armed Forces could play an
important role in reconciling the conflicting camps in the PDI.

Mass

Meanwhile, three youth organizations of Golkar announced
yesterday their plan to hold a rally to declare their loyalty to
the state ideology Pancasila and their disgust of communism.

The Pemuda Pancasila, the Organization of the Children of
Retired Armed Forces Members and the Panca Marga will be
mobilized with an expected 50,000 students, politicians,
religious leaders and others at the Eastern Senayan Parking Lot
in South Jakarta on Sunday morning.

Some 5,000 people have already gathered at the Hasanuddin
Square in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi. Students and activists of
the local branches of some youth organizations declared their
loyalty to the Pancasila and their abhorrence of communists.

The planned rally was also meant to display the youths'
support for the way the government and the Armed Forces had
handled the riots, according to Yorrys Th. Raweyai, the deputy
chairman of the Pemuda Pancasila.

"The rioters never got grassroots' support," Raweyai said.

The politically well-connected Association of the Indonesian
Moslem Intellectuals also stated yesterday its stance on the
rioting and the PRD.

Chairman of the association B.J. Habibie, who is also State
Minister of Research and Technology, delivered the statement to
President Soeharto, and later told the press that the
organization completely supported the government's actions
against the rioters.

But Habibie also urged that all elements of society uphold the
presumption of innocence until proven guilty regarding the riots
by providing those suspected of involvement with due legal
procedures.

Separately, the Communication Forum for the Alumni of the
Association of Islamic Students and the Movement of the
Indonesian Nationalist Students also called for respect of the
principle of the presumption of innocence.

"Allegations of the rioters' links with the outlawed
Indonesian Communist Party should be proven before the court,"
read the statement, which was co-signed by Judilherry Justam of
the Islamic students alumni and Muchyar Yara of the nationalist
students movement. (imn/16/32/20)

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