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)