Student rallies at campuses not wrong: Sjafrie

JAKARTA (JP): The city military commander, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, said yesterday that staging rallies at campuses was not wrong but he encouraged students to make their protests through the appropriate channels.

"I suggest that young college students communicate their aspirations to those (certain people or institutions) who have to listen to them.

"So don't waste your time by rallying on the street," he said after receiving a Rp 500 million donation from private automotive firm PT Kramayudha Tiga Berlian to supply basic commodities to needy people and the families of ABRI personnel safeguarding the city during the General Session.

As intellectuals and future statesmen or stateswomen, students should not heighten the public's anxiety by staging protests in public places, the two-star general said.

"If they are ready with a solution for a certain matter, please submit it to the right people or institutions in a practical way and don't use a method that has a great risk of provoking social unrest," Sjafrie said.

In the past few days, a series of student demonstrations have been recorded at the campuses of some of the country's top universities, including University of Indonesia in Jakarta, and Gadjah Mada University and Islamic University of Indonesia, both in Yogyakarta.

The students demanded the government immediately reduce the price of basic commodities and implement economic and political reforms.

The rallies, also staged by professors and senior lecturers, came only days before tomorrow's start to the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly. The 1,000-strong Assembly is to endorse the 1998/2003 State Policy Guidelines and elect a president and vice president.

Sjafrie said military personnel would not intervene or ban on- campus rallies.

He also guaranteed that the military would not take severe action against the protesting students as long as their rallies remained within the universities' compounds.

"Go ahead, because such activities are under the campuses' authority."

But, Sjafrie warned the students against possible intervention by certain radical parties which plan to disrupt development and the people's sovereignty, including disturbing the General Session.

"The theme of all the rallies was the soaring prices but, behind the scenes, they might be incited by certain interests," he said without elaborating.

"I could prove that there are plans (to disrupt the General Session)."

He named some potential parties which are believed to have plans to interrupt the General Session such as the government- banned Democratic People's Party (PRD) and some NGOs that were pursuing democratization and human rights enforcement.

Sjafrie said the military would take persuasive, educative and severe measures against the parties responsible. (09)