Women reject military candidates

SEMARANG: The Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI) voiced strong opposition to presidential candidates with military backgrounds during a rally in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday.

KPI secretary-general Masruchah argued that military figures would be inclined to be discriminatory and emulate the habits of the New Order regime.

Such anxieties were normal in the light of the iron-fisted, militaristic methods that had been employed by the Soeharto regime, she said. --JP