Who dares?

Rakyat Merdeka on June 11, 2001 published an interview with Mr. Kemal Idris, former chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (green berets) who sieged the palace of former president Sukarno on Oct. 17, 1952. Contrary to what I have often read, Mr. Kemal Idris said the besiege was not a plot to carry out a coup d'etat, but rather to protect the palace from demonstrators milling about the palace. The cannon muzzles of armored vehicles were not directed at the palace but instead on the mob.

Mr. Idris further said the siege was meant to force Bung Karno to dissolve the legislature. His account was a bit different from what Brian May wrote in his book The Indonesian Tragedy that the siege was a putsch and the mass rally was in fact triggered by the military. However, both men have said that the siege to the palace of Sukarno was to force him to dissolve the legislature and hold a expedited election.

On the same page the daily ran a story entitled: Who dares to lay siege to Gus Dur's palace?. If the challenge to siege President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's palace is related to the Oct. 17, 1952 incident, it should read: Who dares to lay siege to Gus Dur's palace to force him to dissolve the legislature and hold a general election three years thereafter?. (In Sukarno's case, the general election was held in 1955). Is this what it means?

SUNARTO PRAWIROSUJANTO

Jakarta