Tapping case reveals rifts in political elite: Amien
Tapping case reveals rifts in political elite: Amien
JAKARTA (JP): The case of the tapping of the purported
telephone conversation between President B.J. Habibie and
Attorney General A.M. Ghalib indicated differences among the
political elite clinging to the status quo, a leading politician
has said.
If there was any good to come out of this "embarrassing" case,
Amien Rais, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said in
Bandung on Sunday, it was the revelation of these rifts, which
has enforced awareness that "the struggle to uphold truth and
justice is extremely heavy."
Amien said there were three scenarios which were being acted
out by the different factions among the political elite.
One was buying time to delay the probe into former president
Soeharto's wealth by creating issues to divert people's
attention.
"Hence the bloody clashes at the Semanggi cloverleaf,
Ketapang, Kupang and Ambon," he said of recent riots.
Another way was through the expressed wishes of some groups to
delay elections.
"But luckily Habibie's government has fully realized that it
needs the election to gain legitimacy, and to recover the trust
of the international community."
The last part of the design, Amien suggested, was the
existence of designs for a military takeover.
"With continued riots there would be reason for the military
to take over," Amien said, reiterating suspicions from other
politicians and observers. "But thankfully the people seem to be
able to make this an unlikely outcome. This must be guarded
against," Amien said.
Separately political lecturer Cornelis Lay of Gajah Mada
University noted that ongoing riots in Ambon have been triggered
by ethnic and religious disputes rather than political conflict.
"If we want to settle the fray we have to admit that there is
a conflict between Muslims and Christians, between the Ambonese
and the Bugis-Makasar people," Cornelis said.
"The indication is clear," he said, citing the fact that
Christians there have their own market as do the Muslims.
Once such problems are acknowledged, he said, attempts at
making peace might be better effected.
"The problem can no longer be disguised with jargon such as
provocateurs, social-economic gap ... it has to be seen through a
new perspective," he said.
Cornelis also expressed his support for the Irianese demand
for greater autonomy in their province. Some have even demanded
separation from the country.
"Irian Jaya deserves to receive special treatment or wide-
range autonomy considering that the province has contributed 20
percent to 30 percent of its natural resources to Indonesia," he
noted. Cornelius urged Habibie to give a positive response to the
demand. (edt/43/44)