Sjafrie cautions students over banned political groups

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin asked university students yesterday to be wary of government-banned groups attempting to disrupt the March general session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

He notified the gathering that former members of the Democratic People's Party (PRD), Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and Indonesian Islamic State (NII) movement are still active.

"The groups often use national days to encourage people to join them," he said during a lecture at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic Institute (IAIN) in Ciputat, South Jakarta.

The MPR general session will elect the country's next president.

Sjafrie cited the latest incident involving former PRD members as an example.

Under the guise of Komite National Perjuangan untuk Demokrasi, or National Committee Struggling for Democracy, the former PRD members held an unauthorized gathering to commemorate Indonesia's Youth Pledge Day on Jl. Proklamasi on Oct. 28, he said.

Police dispersed the gathering which had drawn dozens of participants. About 30 people, mostly university students, were taken to Jakarta Police Headquarters for questioning.

While 22 people were later released, the remaining eight appeared in Central Jakarta District Court the following day and were each ordered to pay Rp 3,000 (85 U.S. cents) for disturbing public order.

Sjafrie said that some former PKI members were planning to interrupt the general session by forming a new discussion group called Sarasehan Jawa Bali and Lampung.

The two-star general said the group had at least 52 members but he did not provide further details.

"For the Armed Forces, the communist party is still a latent danger."

He also warned IAIN students about some people who kept trying to set up an Islamic state in Indonesia in the same way as the banned NII movement.

"There's no Islamic state movement. It has been banished," he said, adding that NII's propaganda could influence the university students.

During the class, one of the students, Hamid, raised his hand and asked Sjafrie why there was always security officers monitoring students' activities as though the students were troublemakers.

The general said the action was to anticipate the possible infiltration of other parties which often use such events to meet their own objectives. (jun)