Thousands pay homage to Sukarno

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of people converged on the East Java town of Blitar yesterday to pay homage to Sukarno, Indonesia's founding father and first president, who died 28 years ago.

The commemoration of his death saw a much greater turnout than in past years, thanks largely to the greater cooperation of the local administration in the current reform atmosphere, according to dispatches received here yesterday.

This was in contrast to past practices in which authorities went out of their way to play down the significance of the event, often by declining to issue the necessary permits until the last minute.

Almost all of Sukarno's offspring were present in Blitar, his hometown where he was buried. His three eldest daughters were certainly present: Sukmawati and Rahmawati arrived Friday, while Megawati came late yesterday escorted by her supporters in the Indonesian Democratic Party.

The commemoration included the usual prayers, Koran readings and Islamic sermons. Reflecting the greater freedom of expression due to the country's reform movement, this year also saw a poetry reading on the agenda, with Sukmawati among the contributors.

The ceremonies were held in two different venues: the Sukarno mausoleum in Bendogerit Cemetery, and the family's residence on Jl. Sultan Agung some three kilometers away.

Sukarno's relatives have said that the commemoration was strictly a family affair and that they had not sent out any invitations, not even to government officials. But as in past years, the observance of his death was open to the public.

Reuters reported that about 35,000 people descended on Blitar yesterday. With the town's hotels and inns fully booked, many local residents opened their doors to visitors wishing to spend the night.

Antara, however, put the crowd at more than 500,000, with buses arriving from as far away as Jakarta and Sumatra.

Roads leading both to the grave site and the family home were jammed with people, rickshaws and motorcycles. Cars were prevented from entering the roads when the crowds started to swell in the morning.

The large turnout attests to the popularity of Sukarno, Indonesia's president between 1945 and 1966. He died June 21, 1970 in official, but not popular, disgrace. He was impeached by the Provisional Consultative Assembly in 1966 for his failure to condemn a communist rebellion a year earlier.

"He (Sukarno) is still in the hearts of the people because his teachings and ideals sprang from the people's hearts," Rahmawati told reporters at the family home.

"That's why, despite having passed away 28 years ago, he has not been forgotten or passed into history."

Asked why the numbers were larger this year, Rahmawati said: "In this era of reform which is freer, people are not so scared or worried to come here," she was quoted by Reuters as saying.

A member of Sukarno's household in Blitar said the family would not travel this year in the 1961 Mercedes owned by Sukarno's elder sister Wardoyo for the short drive from the residence to the cemetery as they had in previous years.

"The old car is in poor condition and almost beyond repair," Islan told Antara.

He said the car was Sukarno's favorite and that he had always insisted on riding in it each time he came to Blitar to visit his sister.

Police deployed more than 2,000 personnel, including members from the local military, to ensure security and order.

Kediri Police chief Col. Rubani Pranoto, whose jurisdiction covers Blitar, said he had given strict orders to his men not to hesitate to clamp down on troublemakers.

He said his forces included personnel from the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), the Police Bomb Squad, the Rapid Reaction Force and an antiterrorist unit.

The organizers also arranged security measures.

The head of the security task force, Samandi, dismissed the likelihood of trouble, saying that people were simply coming to pay homage to their hero.

Nevertheless, he said he was not taking any chances, especially in view of rumors that there could be riots.

The organizers recruited 400 local youths trained in martial arts to help ensure order. They were joined by some 900 Megawati supporters who volunteered to take part in the security arrangements.

A family of 35 was seen at the grave site early in the morning. They had traveled by bus the previous night from the town of Purwokerto in Central Java, a distance of some 275 km (170 miles) through mountainous terrain.

"We came here to commemorate all the good he (Sukarno) did for the country," said Naitoman, a 35-year-old woman who was one of the family's daughters-in-law.

A group of youths were seen sitting by the grave site. One of them, Simun, said he was part of a group of 90 people from the town of Nganjuk in East Java, Reuters reported.

"My entire village is here. There are 90 of us," he said. "We value what he did for the country. We will wait here until his children arrive. We won't be satisfied until we catch a glimpse of them."

If Sukarno's family had its way, this would probably be one of the last, if not the last, commemorations to be held in Blitar.

Sukmawati said the family had long hoped to relocate Sukarno's grave to the family residence in Batu Tulis, in Bogor just outside Jakarta, in accordance with his last wish.

The decision to bury Sukarno in Blitar was made by the government of then president Soeharto in spite of objections from the family.

"I'm saddened because we have not been able to fulfill his last wish all this time," Sukmawati said.

Rahmawati, however, said the issue was still being discussed by the family and that no final decision had been made.

"It's on the agenda. That's all. But it's not the time to talk about the issue right now," she said. (emb)