UI faculty members say Gen. Wiranto must resign

UI faculty members say Gen. Wiranto must resign

JAKARTA (JP): Members of the University of Indonesia faculty,
in a moving eulogy to their students slain last Friday in a clash
with security personnel at Atma Jaya University, blamed the
tragedy on Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto and demanded that
he resign.

A group of 47 respected professors -- including
anthropologists Koentjaraningrat and T.O. Ihromi, economist Moh.
Sadli, philosopher Toety Herati Noerhadi and psychologist
Saparinah Sadli -- expressed their outrage in the statement made
available to the media on Wednesday.

"We demand that Gen. Wiranto... be held responsible. We
demand his resignation and that he be brought to trial."

They declared their support and assistance for the students
campaigning for political reform.

"We have been with them since May 1998 when their efforts led
to the resignation of president Soeharto after 32 years in power.

"We are their teachers and also their friends. We stand by
them."

On Nov. 13, the last day of the Special Session of the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), "the shocking news arrived.
Some of our students had died; others were seriously injured --
their blood staining the streets of Jakarta.

"We saw and heard the police and other members of the Armed
Forces beating and shooting the students as if they were
nothing... It is hard to believe that this government, which
proclaims itself as a true arm of reform in Indonesia, would dare
to attack and kill the students who are the inspiration and the
executors of this process.

"We... demand an end to this wanton killing of our nation's
youth, taking place under the present government," said the
statement, whose signatories also included Budisantoso, Mari
Pangestu, Sjahrir and Kartini Sjahrir, Meutia Swasono, Sri
Mulyani and Riga Adiwoso.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces took out advertisements in many
editions of Wednesday's newspapers expressing its condolences for
the deaths of at least 15 people during last week's clashes.

"With deepest sincerity, we express our condolences for the
deaths of students, members of the public and security apparatus
during the Special Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly," the advertisement read.

Student-led demonstrations against the Assembly and the slow
pace of democratic reform ended in bloodshed on Friday when
security forces opened fire on protesters. Most of the victims
were shot dead.

National Police Chief Lt.Gen. Roesmanhadi said Wednesday one
security force member was among the dead.

Riots broke out in several parts of Jakarta on Saturday in the
worst violence to hit the capital since the bloody May riots. An
estimated 1,200 people died in the unrest which upped the
pressure for Soeharto's ouster.

Numerous groups have demanded that Wiranto, who is also the
defense minister, resign to take responsibility for the
shootings. This call was voiced on Wednesday during student
demonstrations in various cities.

In the East Java capital of Surabaya, hundreds of students
rallied at Heroes Monument over two demands: Wiranto's
resignation and an investigation into Soeharto's wealth.

The students had originally planned to hold a dialog with
Governor Imam Utomo, but canceled at the last minute because they
could not agree among themselves on the meeting. They continued
with their free speech forum at the monument and promised to hold
the rally every day until their demands were met.

In Yogyakarta, thousands of students from Sanata Dharma
University and STIE economic college staged a demonstration
calling for Wiranto's resignation.

About 3,000 people -- professors and students alike -- rallied
at the Sanata Dharma campus on Jl. Gegayan, expressing sadness
over the death of "reform heroes".

Several speakers condemned the military's sociopolitical role,
and called on students and the general public to unite in
fighting "militarism and Armed Forces (ABRI) dual function."

At the STIE campus, about 700 students held a similar rally.
"General Wiranto must be responsible for the bloody Semanggi
incident and must resign immediately from his position as the
minister of defense/Armed Forces commander," the students said in
a statement.

In Ujungpandang, the capital of South Sulawesi, students from
a number of universities gathered and marched down several major
streets. They damaged a military vehicle they encountered during
the march.

Some of the student members of the Moslem Students Association
(HMI) visited the headquarters of Wirabuana Regional Military and
met with Commander Maj. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessy to air their
demand that those responsible for the killings be held
responsible.

In Jakarta, the Committee for Indonesian Workers Action Front
(KAPPI) issued a statement demanding Wiranto's resignation
because "he had failed in his duty".

The association also called for the establishment of a
provisional legislature to replace the current House of
Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly which had "openly
hurt people's feelings, failed to help the people and were part
of Soeharto's regime". (nur/24/23/30/swe/rms)