Unknown group stages anti-communist protest

Unknown group stages anti-communist protest

JAKARTA (JP): A previously unheard-of organization mobilized
more than 100 people yesterday, including mothers and children,
for a demonstration at the House of Representatives which called
on the government to maintain its vigilance against a communist
revival.

The "Solidarity Movement of Democratic People" urged the
government, the House and the political parties to "cleanse"
themselves of communist elements.

The organization did not say who the communists might be, but
said that some important state institutions, including the
government, and political parties, might have been "infiltrated".

The demonstrators sang patriotic songs and unfurled banners.
One poster read "Save this country from Pancasila traitors,"
while another declared "Pancasila...yes, PKI...no."

The PKI was the Indonesian Communist Party (Partai Komunis
Indonesia), which was outlawed in 1966, a year after it was
accused of attempting a coup d'etat against former president
Sukarno.

The party's members and supporters were jailed and later
released, but they have been barred from taking jobs in the civil
service, the military and in teaching professions and are not
permitted to join political organizations. The military regularly
screens the civil service and political parties to find people
with past links to the PKI.

"We need to make sure that all state institutions are free
from any PKI elements," read a statement distributed by the group
during the demonstration.

The group's leader, Bambang Heryanto, demanded to see House
Speaker Wahono or one of his deputies, to request the expulsion
of House members suspected of past links to the PKI.

His demand was not met.

Bambang said his organization is demanding government
clarification over recent allegations that remnants of the PKI
had infiltrated political organizations.

"We have been further confused by the official use of the term
`formless organization', which has been accused of being behind
some of the recent unrest," he said.

The phrase has been used by the military in recent weeks as it
alerted the public to what it said were attempts by former PKI
members to make a comeback.

Bambang said the government should clarify the situation and
come clean if it found any person or organization to have PKI
connections.

The protesters dispersed peacefully after one hour.

When interviewed by reporters, many of them said they came
from the Grogol, Muara Kapuk and Cengkareng subdistricts of West
Jakarta.

Some of the women present admitted that they had been promised
payment for taking part in the demonstration.

Khoiriyah, a 44-year-old housewife, told The Jakarta Post she
was asked to come on the demonstration by her husband, a member
of the group.

"We've been promised Rp10,000 (US4.37) as lunch money," she
said.

Bambang denied that the protesters were being paid to
participate in the demonstration but admitted to providing them
with a free lunch. (01)