Students hold anti-MPR session protest warmup

JAKARTA (JP): At least 500 students staged a rally on Thursday at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, calling it a rehearsal for a massive demonstration to be held on Monday ahead of the Nov. 10 to Nov. 13 People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Special Session.

Unfurling banners and red-and-white national flags, the protesters grouped in the Greater Jakarta Student Forum, or Forkot, staged a free-speech forum before marching to the campus of ABA-ABI (Foreign Languages and Banking Academy) on Jl. Matraman Raya, East Jakarta.

The Forkot activists, who include students from at least six universities here, vowed to continue to air their demand that people reject the Special Session despite the threat from Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto on Wednesday to crack down on any attempt to disrupt the proceedings.

"We'll proceed with our plan to rally at the MPR complex, even if we have to shed our blood," Forkot spokesman Fadhil said.

But he quickly added that Forkot would try its best to stage their planned rally in a peaceful way without becoming involved in a bloody clash with the security authorities.

"We'll face the security officers and the civilians with a cool head. We're intellectuals and against violence," said Fadhil, who is a student at Sahid University.

He was referring to the 20,000 heavily armed police and military personnel and 125,000 civilians deployed in and around the MPR complex since Monday to safeguard the MPR session.

Fadhil, however, refused to disclose his group's strategy to reach the MPR compound.

Determination

He said Forkot would proceed with its plan together with other students and activists that grouped themselves in the United People's Action (AKRAB).

AKRAB includes students from the University of Indonesia, the Bandung Institute of Technology, the Forum of Greater Jakarta Student Senates (FKSMJ), the Students Front for Reform and Democracy (Famred), and workers in the Workers Committee for Reform Action (Kobar) and activists of the National Coalition for Democracy.

FKSMJ spokesman Ridwan echoed Forkot's plan, saying that members of his forum would also try their best to avoid physical clashes with the security force, including the civilian groups enlisted by the authorities, during their planned massive rally, which is also scheduled for Monday.

"If we clash with the civilian group, the public would have the opinion that members of civilian society are fighting among themselves and those involved in the fight are pro-Habibie and anti-Habibie groups," he said.

Ridwan said that his group members were still discussing the best strategy to avoid any possible clash, but they stressed that they would stick to their agenda.

"But we're sure there will be a clash, anyway. That's the risk. We cannot avoid that. If we just sit back and watch, the people will continue to suffer," he said.

The military and police personnel are armed with guns, rifles, batons, tear gas and shields and the civilians -- some of whom are attired in military fatigues -- are equipped with rattan sticks.

Agung, an activist from the People's Democratic Party (PRD), believed that the presence of the civilians in securing the unpopular MPR session would only cause further harm to the public.

"If chaos does happen, it could be used to prove that civilians are incapable of governing the country and this, in turn, would provide the military with a legitimate basis to take over the government," he said.

On Oct. 28, the country's Youth Pledge Day, about 10,000 students and activists grouped in AKRAB staged an anti-Habibie rally in front of the MPR building.

When asked to comment on the large number of troops deployed around the MPR building, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar defended the policy, saying that the number "was not too great and still proportional".

"The MPR members (and all invitees to the session) need to convene and work in a quiet atmosphere as they're about to decide the fate of 200 million Indonesians," Togar said.

"It's not showing off. We just need to guard the special event," he added.

Togar also denied reports and photographs of the electrified barbed wire installed near the gates of the MPR complex.

"No, there is no such electrified barbed wire around the building because it would surely endanger people.

"The police wouldn't do that, it's dangerous," he said. (ivy/emf)