Tension clouds MPR session

JAKARTA (JP): One Jakarta resident said she has warned most of her relatives here to stay at home throughout the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) from Nov. 10 through Nov. 13 because she is afraid of unrest.

"I am thinking of keeping my daughter away from school because what if there's a riot sparked by the session?" she said, pointing to media reports that over 25,000 military personnel bolstered by 125,000 civilian recruits have been deployed to safeguard the session of the 1,000-strong legislature.

The worry that demonstrations planned by both supporters and opponents of the session will degenerate into full blown unrest is certainly understandable given that the wounds left by the May riots have yet to start healing.

Respectable observers such as Rudini and Nurcholish Madjid have both spoken of the possibility of unrest and even bloodshed during the session.

Among those worried by the prospect of renewed unrest on Saturday were a group of pedicab drivers, public transport drivers, roadside vendors and scavengers in the Central Java capital of Semarang. In a press statement, they urged various interest groups to cease arguing over the session.

"Please, no more conflicting opinions about the session, much less the deployment of masses of people that could lead to clashes and bring suffering to the small people," spokesman Hari Subagyo was quoted by Antara as saying on Saturday.

The scavengers and drivers called on legislators to draft policies that absorb the people's aspirations so that their suffering could be eased.

Aspirations. That's the catchword of the day. Legitimacy. That's another.

Politicians, observers, laymen and journalists through their editorials have been asking whether the session really is necessary. Is it legitimate? Will it be successful and accommodate the people's aspirations. The biggest question is whether there will be a showdown between those who support it and those against it.

Those in favor say that only with the session -- which will revoke an earlier decree on elections -- will the country be able to hold a fair and democratic general election. Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto has described it as the only gate toward democratization.

Those against, however, see it as a ploy designed to give President B.J. Habibie more time to strengthen his position. "If this is a meeting of people's representatives, why these extreme security measures?" one said. Some groups have even spoken about forcing Habibie to step down before the session commences.

It was following expression of these conflicting opinions that rumors spread of impending clashes between protests and counter- protests during the Special Session.

In Yogyakarta, Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, warned community leaders against exploiting young people and deploying them either to support or oppose the session.

"If clashes take place, leaders must shoulder the blame," he said on Saturday. "Don't deploy civilians to secure the session ... (as it will) pit one group against the other."

Former student activist Moh. Jumhur Hidayat has said he is confident that protesting students will not be able to force the session to a premature end. Activists opposed to the session will be outnumbered by those in favor, he said in a recent interview.

Forces

National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi has acknowledged that an incessant wave of demonstrations will greet the Special Session.

"There will be no days without demonstrations. The tension is mounting all the time. The most important thing is for the protesters to express their demands in an orderly manner and to avoid clashes," he said.

The Armed Forces headquarters, which is responsible for coordinating security measures, has made provisions to thwart any efforts to prevent the event from taking place.

A total of 4,500 troops are stationed within and around the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)/House of Representatives (DPR) compound.

Marines, elite Paskhasau troops from the Air Force, the Police Mobile Brigade and troops from the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) have been deployed inside and outside the complex.

The Army's Engineer Regiment, Artillery Squad and Cavalry are also included in the force. Troops have also been deployed close to the presidential palaces and business and trading centers.

To help police the event, the Mobile Brigade has purchased a US$1 million monitoring vehicle with a zoom-in camera capable of crowd surveillance at a distance of up to 500 meters.

Four Mobile Brigade water cannons and five armored vehicles are also on standby at the front and back entrances to the House/Assembly complex 24 hours a day.

The National Police Gegana Bomb Squad has deployed 500 men, 10 bomb disposal vehicles and two EOD (Explosive Ordained Disposal) cars to help safeguard the congress.

In addition, Antara reported that 15 warships have been made ready along with six aircraft and helicopters, two police patrol boats, and another two patrol boats from the coast and sea guard units.

Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Widodo A.S. said he saw no threats to the MPR special session from the sea, but "we have to remain alert because any peace disturbance on the sea may also affect security on land if it is ignored."

The ships involved include a submarine, a corvette, a frigate, a fast patrol boat, a coastal patrol boat and a landing ship tanker.

Security precautions have also been extended to individual legislators. The Armed Forces headquarters does not want to see a repeat of the events of 1967, when several legislators failed to arrive at the Assembly building on time because of a flat tire.

One member of the Armed Forces has been deployed to accompany each of the 1,000 legislators in and around the legislature building at all times. Provisions have also been made to guarantee the security of members of the regional representatives faction from the minute they arrive at the airport in Jakarta.

Agenda

Debate has continued to rage over the legitimacy of the session and its agenda, which includes the deliberation and adoption of 12 decrees.

Constitutional law professor Harun Alrasyid said the Special Session's agenda was inappropriate. "The session agenda should only include discussion of the presidential election because the post has been vacant for a certain period of time."

"The Special Session can also be used to ask an outgoing president to give an accountability statement," he said.

"A Special Session can also be used to hold a referendum on certain issues," he added.

Indria Samego, a political analyst at the National Institute of Science (LIPI), said the Assembly should have been more responsive to the people's aspirations regarding the session agenda.

"People have demanded that former president Soeharto be held accountable for his past mistakes. They also demanded that the Armed Forces should not sit in the House of Representatives any longer."

"Unfortunately the Assembly has made no positive response to these calls," he said.

Another constitutional law professor, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, suggested that the Assembly should be made to listen to people's aspirations.

"Only through pressure will Assembly members change the agenda," he said.

In contrast to Harun, Yusril contended that a Special Session of the Assembly was entitled to discuss anything it wanted. (team)