Students join chorus for political reforms

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)