Students protest governorship candidates from military background

Jupriadi The Jakarta Post Makassar

Dozens of student activists, grouped under the Tamalanrea Students Forum (FORMAT), staged a rally here on Tuesday opposing the nomination of South Sulawesi governorship candidates who have a military background, a report said.

The protest, which began at 9 a.m. local time, was focused on the Jl. Pettarani and Jl. Urip Sumohardjo intersection, close to the entrance to the Reformasi toll road in Makassar.

The students made speeches and unfurled banners and posters, which read: "Reject military candidates and beware of the return of the New Order."

They called on members of the South Sulawesi provincial legislative council not to elect candidates with a military background.

"If the Provincial Legislative Council insists on electing one of them (candidates with a military background), they will have the students to deal with," Fadly, spokesman for the students forum, said.

He said the students' opposition to candidates having a military background was part of attempts to reject the military's domination in the civilian administration, citing the repressive approach taken by military-background officials in the South Sulawesi administration in handling local problems.

"We reject the military, because we are confident that it won't support the total reforms that the students have demanded. We have also had bad experiences from the military-style leadership under (incumbent) governor Zainal Basri Palaguna, who has a military background," the spokesman said.

Palaguna's term of office will end this month, while the gubernatorial election will be held in December.

There has been no official statement from the local military headquarters nor Palaguna himself over the students' rejection of candidates from a military background.

But, the Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters has repeatedly issued statements saying that once a military officer retired, he or she did not have any structural relationship with the military as an institution and that the retired officer would then become a civilian.

A number of retired Army generals have been tipped as candidates for the South Sulawesi gubernatorial post, including former TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. (ret) Amir Syarifuddin, who has reportedly been nominated by the provincial chapter of the United Development Party (PPP); Maj. Gen. (ret) M. Amin Syam, who is currently speaker of the South Sulawesi Provincial Legislative Council and chairman of the South Sulawesi chapter of the Golkar Party and former attorney general Lt. Gen. (ret) Andi M. Ghalib, who has also reportedly been nominated by PPP.

Meanwhile, civilian candidates include Hasanuddin University Rector Radi A. Gany, businessman Aksa Mahmud, Golkar legislator at the House of Representatives Nurdin Halid and incumbent Gowa regent Syahrul Yasin Limpo.