Student groups trade slurs on planned rally

Student groups trade slurs on planned rally

JAKARTA (JP): Student groups traded accusations on Saturday of
being used by the political elite ahead of the massive
antigovernment rally planned on Monday.

The Forum for Action of Reform and Democracy (Famred) and the
City Forum (Forkot), two student groups in Jakarta, accused
Student Executive Boards (BEM) of several universities in Java
and Sumatra of being used by the political elite as a political
vehicle to topple President Abdurrahman Wahid.

"BEM's antigovernment demonstrations and its political support
for the present move to topple the President is strong evidence
that the students have been used by certain groups in the
political elite to fight for their interests," said Adian
Napitupulu, chairman of Forkot, in a discussion on student'
movements here.

Conversely, Sigit Adi Prasetya, chairman of ITB's BEM, accused
Famred and Forkot of being behind the President because they
declined to fight against the rampant corruption in the present
regime.

"If they are consistent with the moral movement of the
students they should also oppose the corrupt government," he
said.

Napitupulu said the antigovernment movement launched by
students from the University of Indonesia, Bogor Institute of
Agriculture (IPB), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the
Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and many private
universities and institutes has been contaminated by vested
interests of the political elite.

"Students grouped in the Student Executive Board should fight
for truth and justice and take the people's side, instead of the
political elite," he said, citing that many students from Forkot
have been jailed and suffered injuries in fighting for the
peoples' interests, especially justice seekers, workers and the
poor.

Famred concurred, saying that the Golkar Party, the main
supporter of the former New Order regime, should be held
responsible for the political instability, the stagnant reform
and the absence of the supremacy of the law.

"We call on all citizens to set up a revolutionary court to
dissolve Golkar and try its figures who committed numerous sins
during the New Order era," Anton, chairman of Famred, said in the
meeting.

Adian and Anton opposed BEM's plan for a mass rally because
such an action would deepen the divide among students.

"The mass demonstration will benefit Amien Rais and his group
and create a deep divide between the students and the people and
such action will not win the support of the public," said Adian.

Yet, Taufik Riyadi, chairman of University of Indonesia's BEM,
insisted that BEMs would go ahead with their planned rally on
Monday. He claimed around 200,000 students would stage a
demonstration near the presidential palace.

BEMs will also take advantage of the rally to protest against
the government's plan to gradually increase fuel prices, starting
April 1. Details of the price hike will be announced on Monday.

Meanwhile, the planned demonstration has sparked mixed
reactions.

Sukadi, a bus driver of PPD bus company told The Jakarta Post
that all drivers from the company support the students' call to
oppose the government's plan to increase the fuel price.

"We have been told to park all buses from our 14 depots in
front of the office of Ministry of Transportation and
Telecommunications on Jl. Merdeka Barat on Monday," Sukadi said.

Anisah, a state senior high school student at Bukit Duri,
Manggarai district, South Jakarta said students at her school
would join the rally.

Zulkarnaen, a teacher at a private high school in Jatinegara,
East Jakarta, also supported the rally.

"I cried and thanked God when Gus Dur was elected president,
but months later my feelings changed toward him since he could
not control his statements," he said.

Chairman of Indonesian Islamic Boarding School Cooperative
Body (BKS-PP) KH Cholil Ridwan also supported the students'
campaign.

"As long as it is without violence, I support them," he told
the Post.

Labor activist Muchtar Pakpahan, however, called upon workers
on Friday to shun the students' call to strike because this would
crumble the industry, which would make the workers themselves
suffer. (rms/01)