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)