Sudomo criticized for blaming riot in Islamic group

SEMARANG (JP): The chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council, Sudomo, has been challenged in public and in court for his statement suggesting that an Islamic group was behind last month's rioting in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya.

In Yogyakarta, a group of young Moslem students announced their intention to file a complaint of libel against Sudomo. They have already asked the Yogyakarta office of the Legal Aid Institute to help represent them in court.

In Semarang, scholars questioned Sudomo's inference that remnants of an outlawed Moslem organization had instigated the riot.

Sudomo, a Navy admiral who once headed the fearsome Kopkamtib internal security agency, said on Jan. 15 that many of the recent disturbances were the work of extremists.

In the case of Tasikmalaya, he reportedly singled out the remnants of Darul Islam/Tentara Islam Indonesia (DI/TII), a group which staged a rebellion in 1949 to establish an Islamic organization in the young republic at the time.

It was his inference that an Islamic organization, rather than the organization itself, had sparked the riot that drew anger from some people and questions from scholars.

Eduard Depari, a mass communications expert from the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post in Semarang on Friday that given his prestigious public position, Sudomo should not have uttered statements that could be divisive for the nation.

"We are close to general elections and we need to have a calm situation and avoid stirring up mutual suspicions.

"Sudomo should have been more careful not to offend the feelings of one religious group," said Eduard, who is also the chief public relations officer at private television station RCTI.

"His statement is to be regretted," he said. "The fact that Sudomo is not a Moslem also doesn't help. That's why we saw the strong reaction," he said.

Muladi, a legal expert and rector of Diponegoro University in Semarang, said things have changed since Sudomo's Kopkamtib days when he could go around blaming the extreme left and right for problems in the country.

"Then, Islam did not have much of a political role and was remote from power. But now, Moslems are within or closer to the government.

"That's why any statement using past inferences should be reworded for the current condition," said Muladi, who is also a member of the National Commission on Human Rights.

Sudomo could have stated the "extreme right" and not named any particular Islamic group, he added.

In Yogyakarta, around 40 university students formed a group called the Young Moslem Generation of Yogyakarta to initiate court action against Sudomo.

"Sudomo's remarks could stir unrest and give a bad image to Moslems," Sri Harjono, the group's spokesman, said on Friday.

The group is challenging Sudomo to prove his accusations in court. "If he can't prove them, then he should retract his statement and issue a public apology."

Sudomo should resign, he said. "He is no longer fit to hold public office." (har/23)