Students hold anti-MPR session protest warmup

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)