Students join chorus for political reforms

JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of prominent student and youth organizations joined the growing chorus for political reforms yesterday, calling for a more democratic system which they say is the only way out of the current economic predicament.

The leaders signed a joint statement, Toward a National Reformation, in which they called on the nation to leave behind "conservative and status quo oriented attitudes".

"This nation calls on its people to pay serious attention to change and to the logic of progress," said the statement, read out by Syaiful Bahri Anshori, chairman of the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII).

The statement was read before journalists at the headquarters of the Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI).

Twenty-four leaders from GMNI, PMII, the Christian Student Movement, Nahdlatul Ulama's youth wings (IPNU and IPPNU), the association of Indonesian Hindu Students (KMHDI) and the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) signed the petition.

They included KMHDI chairman Nyoman Parta, GMNI secretary- general A. Baskara, PMII chairman Syaiful Bahri Anshori, GMKI chairman Edward Tanari, IPNU chairman A. Helmy Faishal, and IPPNU chairman Safira Machrusah.

They called on the "power of the people" to work hand in hand in dealing with the economic crisis. "This condition has challenged our wisdom, intelligence, and vigilance. This cannot be faced by one individual or even by one powerful group alone."

A new leader, they say, is needed to unite the country.

"It is in this light that we call on Indonesians to find and encourage the emergence of a new national leader through an open, competitive and democratic process," they said.

The demand from student organizations is the latest call for an alternative president from the incumbent Soeharto.

All the political factions, whose representatives will elect the president and vice president at the People's Consultative Assembly meeting in March, have stated their intention to nominate Soeharto for a seventh term in office, but they have left the question of the vice presidency until closer to election day.

The student leaders said a new national leader was needed to forge reforms toward a more democratic state. However, they refrained from naming anyone for the position.

"We just want to be part of the process of the present change, this is just a start. Citing the candidate will be the next step in the process," said A. Baskara, GMNI's Secretary-General.

KIPP's Secretary-General Mulyana W. Kusumah said the statement was a review of the New Order government's performance and found that currently, it has hit the lowest ebb of a crisis.

"The way to handle it is through reforms of national economic policies. For this to happen, we need political reforms first," he said.

Baskara said student leaders were not simply demanding presidential succession per se. "We want succession in all levels of the political system".

"It's a call for reform of the whole system," he said. (aan)