Social, religious groups comment on violent rioting

Social, religious groups comment on violent rioting

JAKARTA (JP): Social and religious groups are racing to
distance themselves from the violent rioting on Saturday which
the authorities have blamed on the Democratic People's Party
(PRD).

Various groups have condemned the PRD, and demanded that the
deposed chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Megawati
Soekarnoputri, also be held responsible for the riots which
erupted after the violent takeover of the PDI headquarters by her
foe, Soerjadi, and the police.

Seventy-two leaders of 32 organizations yesterday demanded
harsh action against anyone found to be responsible for inciting
the violence. Earlier in the day, they were briefed on the
rioting by the Director-general for Sociopolitical Affairs of the
Ministry of Home Affairs, Sutoyo NK, and the Armed Forces' Chief
for Sociopolitical Affairs, Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid.

The organizations included a youth wing of the ruling Golkar
organization, Gakari, and a number of politically well-connected
organizations such as the Pemuda Pancasila and the Indonesian
National Youths Committee.

Some of the representatives called for a thorough
investigation of the riots, and commended the Armed Forces for
its handling of the unrest: "We also call on the public to
maintain calm and not be easily provoked."

On Monday, 27 influential Moslem organizations declared that
the rioting amounted to "insurrection". The organizations
included the official Indonesian Council of Ulemas, the
Muhammadiyah, the Nahdlatul Ulama and the Indonesian Council for
Islamic Propagation.

After a meeting at the Grand Istiqlal Mosque, which was also
attended by Armed Forces' spokesman Brig. Gen. Amir Syarifuddin,
the chairman of the ulemas council, Hasan Basri, said that the
Moslem organizations "condemn the series of brutal and violent
actions which damage public and personal transport vehicles,
buildings and economic facilities."

The religious leaders were convinced that the rioting was an
attempted revolt; masterminded and carried out by radical groups
who wanted to revive communism, undermine the government and
obstruct the political order established by the New Order
administration.

"We support the government and the Armed Forces' stern and
swift legal actions against the rioters and the people who
masterminded the rioting," the groups said in a statement.

The Indonesian Council of Ulemas also urged the government and
the Armed Forces to take harsh legal action against those who,
before the rioting, openly "incited and provoked" people through
their free-speech forum.

The council was referring to the daily gatherings at the PDI
headquarters before the takeover. At the gatherings, the speakers
criticized the government and the Armed Forces.

A source from one of the Moslem groups, however, said that
they had not prepared the statement themselves: "It (reading out
the statement) was a fait accompli."

PRD

Legislators yesterday requested the government to "take harsh
action against the People's Democratic Party, and to ban it
because it was established in violation of the 1985 Law on
Political Parties and Golkar."

The law only recognizes two political parties -- the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the United Development
Party (PPP) -- and Golkar, the legislators said.

In addition, "PRD has conducted political activities which
have led to insurrection...so it must be sanctioned and banned,"
said the chairman of the Golkar faction Moestahid Astari. "I
believe that if the government and the Armed Forces have reminded
us to beware of communism, it's not just meant to scare people."

Armed Forces representative Suparman Achmad has also condemned
the PRD for attempting to rebel against the government through
the free-speech forum. "Whoever spoke in the forum should be held
responsible, there's no question about that, because they incited
people. They provoked people," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

"Communism must never exist in this country, and so the PRD
must be banned," he said, adding that the organization's
activities reflected efforts to revive the forces of the Old
Order administration to undermine the New Order administration,
under President Soeharto.

Similar condemnation against Megawati was voiced by State
Minister for Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi. Mien, who is also the
chief of a mass organization affiliated with Golkar, said that
Megawati should be held responsible for holding the free-speech
forum.

"We demand that Megawati be held responsible...the forum only
resulted in violence and brutality," she was quoted by Antara.
"We also support the Armed Forces' stern action to control the
situation."

Of the many groups commenting on the political situation, the
National Commission of Human Rights was among those who
criticized the government's handling of the PDI crisis.

Roekmini Koesoemoastoeti was quoted by Antara as saying that
the "violence used in handling the PDI crisis...will breed new
problems and even open the opportunity for a resurgence of the
(now-outlawed) Indonesian Communist Party."

"Violence is not a good solution...it only incites the people
who are already oppressed and frustrated. When (violence) is
wide-spread like this, who will take responsibility?" she said.

She also said the commission had established a team to
investigate whether there were human rights abuses in the riots
which erupted after the forced takeover of the PDI headquarters.

A group of Megawati's lawyers requested that they be included
in the rights commission's fact-finding team. Bambang Widjojanto,
one of Megawati's lawyers, said he and his colleagues had
received reports about people who had died at the hands of the
military when it quelled the rioting. "We've been verifying the
reports with the commission," he said.

Bambang said the team will ask Megawati to formally lodge a
protest with the military police against the involvement of
soldiers in the forced takeover of the party's headquarters.

"The attack against the headquarters was a criminal action. It
would be very strange if there's no action taken against the
attackers," he said.

Separately, Megawati loyalist Laksamana Sukardi was quoted by
AFP as saying yesterday that 158 members of PDI were still
missing after Saturday's violent takeover.

The 158 missing "are still being sought by their families. We
don't know what has happened to them, and we're worried," said
Laksamana.

Laksamana said that central Jakarta's military and police
hospitals have refused to provide information on their patients
to the PDI. Diplomats and journalists on Monday were also denied
access to these hospitals, the news agency said. (team)