Thousands turn out to remember Sukarno

Thousands turn out to remember Sukarno

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of people crammed the streets leading
to the house of former Indonesian president Sukarno in Blitar,
East Java, yesterday to pay homage to the leader on the 25th
anniversary of his death.

A reporter of the Surya daily newspaper estimated that about
25,000 people, most of them from out of town, assembled in the
streets around the house, where many members of his family and
friends had gathered.

Many others visited the grave of Sukarno nearby to say prayers
before trying to make their way to the house in the evening,
where the khaul, a religious ceremony to remember the deceased,
was being held.

There were no incidents during the day and the initial fears
of the authorities that the gathering would be turned into a
major political event turned out to be unfounded.

It was more like a family affair, as it has always been in
previous years, observers said. But some of the leading public
figures that had originally been expected to lead the gathering
were conspicuously absent yesterday.

Megawati Soekarnoputri, Sukarno's daughter and chairwoman of
the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was nowhere to be seen.
Abdurrahman Wahid of the 28-million strong Moslem organization
Nahdlatul Ulama and senior nationalist politician Roeslan
Abdulgani, two men originally billed as speakers for the khaul,
were also absent.

The organizers of the event said they were baffled by the
absence of Megawati."There are no explanations. But her staff are
all here," said Islan Gatot Imbata, a member of the organizing
committee.

Among Sukarno's relatives who did attend were daughters
Sukmawati and Rachmawati, and his Japanese-born wife Dewi
Sukarno. Some leading PDI figures were seen among the crowd,
including party Secretary-General Alex Litaay, Mangara Siahaan,
Sutjipto and Jati Kusumo.

"This is proof that the khaul has always been an event for the
family and the people," Jati Kusumo told a Surya reporter.

Although the Blitar regency administration had taken over the
organization of the event, its officials maintained a low profile
presence.

Politics were introduced into yesterday's proceedings only in
the participants' choice of clothes, with many wearing the PDI's
red and black colors.

"I think that is normal. On the basis of the colors, we can
see who really respected Bung (brother) Karno," Jati Kusumo said.
(emb)