Thousands demand Soeharto's resignation at House

Thousands demand Soeharto's resignation at House

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of students and community leaders
swamped the House of Representatives/People's Consultative
Assembly complex yesterday, conveying loudly their demands that
the legislative body set in motion procedures to force President
Soeharto to step down.

Reaching the compound in waves of buses and other means of
transport, the protesters took over commission rooms and would
not budge until legislators appeared.

A group of alumni and students fro Bogor Agriculture Institute
(IPB) met with Irsyad Sudiro and Abdul Gafur from the dominant
Golkar faction, and threatened to resign their Golkar membership
if the ruling political organization failed to take
responsibility for the political, economic, legal and moral
crisis, and initiate sweeping reform.

In the other wing of the building, illustrious members of a
group who called themselves Gerakan Reformasi Nasional (National
Reform Movement) entered a room and waited for over an hour to be
met by leaders of the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction. The group was
an amalgam of various associations, including students, alumni
and University of Indonesia (UI) staff.

Among members were former minister of mines Subroto, poet W.S.
Rendra, scholar Y.B. Mangunwijaya, UI professor Mahar Mardjono,
chairman of UI alumni association Hariadi Dharmawan, and a group
of retired generals represented by Solichin G.P. and Ali Sadikin.

The group turned up with red roses in their hands symbolizing
peaceful reform, and asked Hari Sabarno and his colleagues from
the ABRI faction to initiate an extraordinary session of the
People's Consultative Assembly to withdraw the mandate given to
Soeharto and Vice President B.J. Habibie.

"The suffering of the people...in this multi-dimensional
crisis, must not be allowed to drag on, and should be ended with
affirmative action through the national reform movement," the
group said in a statement delivered by UI professor Dimyati
Hartono.

"We insist that the People's Consultative Assembly convene a
special session to revoke the... (decree which returned) General
(ret) H.M. Soeharto as president, and B.J. Habibie as Vice
President...and elect a new president and vice president."

"Now is the turning point. It is a new era in the history of
Indonesia," Dimyati said.

In his response, Hari, who calmly fended off jeers from some
students, said his faction would take steps to heed the people's
aspirations and demands soon.

"We are indeed racing against time, and must prevent
irresponsible groups from causing more unrest," he said.

Simultaneously, members of House Commission II on domestic
affairs met with Moslem scholar Amien Rais, who was accompanied
by legal expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra. Amien, the chairman of the
Muhammadiyah Moslem organization who once expressed readiness to
become president, told reporters afterward: "Basically all
parliament members... are longing for reform."

"To quit, to step down, to resign or however you want to say
it, he has to go..." Amien said.

He made the same statement during his meeting with the
legislators. "Soeharto must go -- the sooner the better," said
Amien, who has promised to bring millions of people onto the
streets on Wednesday, National Awakening Day, to drive home his
message.

Groups

In the foyer, two different groups of students sat chanting
songs critical of President Soeharto and shouting every so often:
"Long live reform!" They were members of the Moslem Students
Association (PMII), and of the association of student bodies in
Jakarta.

Yet another group of protesters formed outside the building.
Around 3,000 students in various varsity colors from more than 40
Greater Jakarta universities staged a rally, taking turns to
orate to the crowds.

Three trucks of soldiers, one light tank and one armored
personnel carrier stood ready by the side of the complex.

The students left their campuses packed into buses and cars
crying "Merdeka (freedom)." Many waved roses at the impassive
ranks of armed troops and sung and cheered at clapped.

Soldiers ushered them through the gates of the House building
to present petitions demanding that the People's Consultative
Assembly hold an emergency session to ask the President to quit.

After several hours rallying under the scorching sun, the
students left the House compound in 30 buses provided by the
Armed Forces. Lt. Col. Saragih, a member of staff in the
information department in ABRI headquarters said the buses were
to take the students back to their campuses so they would not
have to march on the streets near the House compound.

However, 100 students chose to camp out at the House compound,
holding serious discussion with each other. (byg/imn/rms/swe)