Wiranto confirms dialog with students
Wiranto confirms dialog with students
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces
Commander Gen. Wiranto confirmed yesterday he would meet with
students from 17 universities at the YTKI building on Jl. Gatot
Subroto, South Jakarta, on Saturday.
Wiranto however was quick to assert that Saturday's dialog
should not be politicized.
Former student activist Djusril Djusan revealed the planned
meeting on Friday. He said that an invitation had been sent to
each university for two of their representatives to attend the
meeting.
Among those invited are the University of Indonesia, the
Jakarta Teachers' Training Institute, the Diponegoro University,
the Bandung Institute of Technology, Padjadjaran University,
Gadjah Mada University, Sebelas Maret University, Airlangga
University, Lampung University and Hasanuddin University.
Besides Wiranto, Djusril said that Minister of Home Affairs R.
Hartono, Minister of Justice Muladi, Coordinating Minister for
Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Minister of
Social Services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, Minister of Education
and Culture Wiranto Arismunandar, Minister of Youth Affairs and
Sports Agung Laksono, Minister of Trade and Industry Mohamad
Hasan and State Minister of Empowerment of State Enterprises
Tanri Abeng are also expected to attend.
Thousands of students across the archipelago have been staging
hundreds of rallies demanding lower prices of basic commodities
and sweeping economic and political reforms in recent weeks. The
Armed Forces offered to hold a dialog with them, but the students
demanded a meeting with President Soeharto himself.
President
As of yesterday, the likelihood of President Soeharto holding
a dialog with students to hear their ideas for resolving the
economic crisis remained remote as top officials remained aloof
to the idea.
Both Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport Agung Laksono and the
leader of the ruling Golkar organization, Harmoko, said the
President might eventually agree to such a meeting, but they
questioned its necessity.
Agung brushed aside the urgency for the dialog if government
officials were capable of resolving the crisis.
"Basically the President is willing to hold a dialog with all
the people, including students. But if the problem to be
discussed can already be handled by the President's aides, why
should the President engage in more dialogs," said Agung in
Surabaya, East Java, Saturday.
He said the President had an extremely busy schedule so the
students should be satisfied meeting with ministers.
"If the students want to discuss the economic problems then
meeting the minister of finance or minister of industry and trade
should be enough," added Agung.
In Lembang, West Java, Harmoko said yesterday that the
President was no stranger to dialogs as they had been one of his
priorities. The former minister of information pointed out that
Soeharto often held dialogs with farmers across the country.
Harmoko also noted that during Soeharto's recent inauguration
speech, he pledged to be open to criticism.
But he indicated that the likelihood of any dialog with
students occurring in the near future was remote.
"I'm sure that at one point President Soeharto will accept
(the offer) and hold a dialog with students."
While Agung and Harmoko seemed open to the idea, Armed Forces
spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul Wahab Mokodongan was quick to slam the
idea, going so far to call the students "arrogant".
"Shouldn't it be enough for them to hold a dialog with
ministers ... We all already know the problems that we are
facing," Mokodongan was quoted by Antara as saying in Pelabuhan
Ratu, West Java, Saturday.
Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono shared Mokodongan's opinion; he said any such
dialog was improper.
Last week Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security Feisal Tanjung dismissed student leaders' demand to hold
dialogs directly with Soeharto, citing state protocol as the
reason why they could not happen. (43/nur/har/byg)