Suharto dictatorship 'entering political crisis'
By James Balowski and Peter Boyle
SYDNEY — According to Astika Anom, one of several Indonesian democratic activists attending the June 21-24 "East Timor: Its Future in the Asia Pacific" conference, the Suharto dictatorship is on the brink of a serious political crisis. Its attempts to prevent the emergence of any challenge in the 1997 general elections and the 1998 general assembly which elects the president have resulted in a week of mass protests in Indonesia.
Anom told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that four people were killed, more than 70 injured and 70 arrested in Jakarta on June 20 during fierce clashes between security forces and supporters of the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Megawati Sukarnoputri, who has become a "unifying symbol" for the growing opposition.
Much of Megawati's support stems from the legacy of her father, Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, who died in 1970 after then Major-General Suharto seized power in 1965 and placed Sukarno under house arrest. For many, Sukarno still symbolises the nationalism and anti-imperialism of the Indonesian independence struggle.
In the 1992 elections, the regime became so anxious about the re-emergence of "Sukarnoism" that it banned the use of his photographs or images. Despite this, Megawati was able to draw as many as 2 million supporters to rallies in Jakarta.
Fearful that Megawati may be "uncooperative" in the general elections in June next year, the regime moved to install a more compliant leader. A section of the PDI was encouraged by the government and the armed forces (ABRI) to convene an "extraordinary congress" in Medan, North Sumatra, to replace Megawati as PDI leader.
The recent demonstrations broke out as the breakaway PDI congress opened under the protection of some 3000 troops.
The rival group claims the congress has the support of 215 branches, but the head of PDI research and development bureau, Kwik Kian Gie, said that only 141 of the party's 305 have backed the move.
Among those attending is Surjadi, deputy speaker of parliament, who was replaced by Megawati as party leader in 1993. Megawati and her supporters were able to wrest the leadership despite massive intervention by the government. Surjadi, who has links with military figures such as ex-defence minister Benny Murdani and the backing of ABRI, has made no secret of his desire to retake the leadership.
Violent clashes
The worst clashes took place on June 20, the second day of protests, when demonstrators began marching from the PDI headquarters in Menteng, central Jakarta, to the Ministry of the Interior. As they reached the city centre, they were blocked by hundreds of military under the Jakarta military commander, Major-General Sutioso, as well as troops from the anti-riot police Brimob, police special forces and KOSTRAD, the army's strategic command. This is the first time KOSTRAD has been called out openly to quell domestic unrest.
Security forces initially formed a line across the street to block the crowd but were forced back. They then regrouped and charged, turning the peaceful rally into a running battle as protesters pelted security forces with stones and bottles and troops clubbed demonstrators and pursued them down side streets.
Eyewitnesses described to 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly troops beating protesters to the ground, striking them repeatedly as they lay helpless. Others, trapped in alleys or against buildings, continued to be beaten even after they tried to surrender. Two armoured police vehicles, one mounted with a water cannon, and a military armoured car were used to back up the security forces.
The dead were all PDI members. One was killed after being dragged from his car by soldiers, beaten and then kicked to the ground. The attack continued even as he lay helpless. The other three died later in hospital.
Reports sent to 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ from the People's Democratic Party (PRD) named 76 people seriously injured and a number hospitalised. Most of these were PDI members, but the list includes members of PRD, Students' Solidarity for Indonesian Democracy (SMID) and the Centre for Labour Struggle (PPBI) who, under the umbrella of PRD, have rallied across the country in support of Megawati.
Three senior PDI officials were also hurt, including Alex Litaay, the party's secretary-general, Sophan Sophian, a PDI member of Parliament, and one of the party's deputies, Mangara Siahaan. Later in the day, an ABRI spokesperson admitted that 25 of troops had been injured but claimed, "We were not doing anything violent; we were just handling the rioting".
Australian and Indonesian media reports have put the number of demonstrators at 5000-8000. But Wilson, coordinator of the Indonesian People's Solidarity Struggle with the Maubere People (SPRIM), who was involved in coordinating the action from the PDI offices on June 20, told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ he estimated it to be 20,000-30,000.
"Traffic in the centre of Jakarta was brought to a complete standstill. Nothing could move; it closed down the whole city", he said. He also testified to the broad support they received describing how construction workers cheered and waved red flags as the rally passed and poor street vendors donated food and drinks to the participants. Thousands of office workers lined the streets, while marchers handed out posters of Megawati.
By late June 21, hundreds of riot police had begun to surround the PDI headquarters in Jakarta. Many activists expect the PDI's offices to be raided as soon as the breakaway PDI congress decides on a new leader.
In response to the regime's manipulation, Megawati has become more defiant, saying that the PDI could mobilise tens of millions of people against Suharto. She has claimed that her party could win up to 85% of the vote if next year's general elections were free and fair.
Government manipulation
Although plans to organise the breakaway congress were unveiled as far back as January, it has only been in the last few weeks that the government has begun to move openly against Megawati. According to rumours, she has to be expelled before the end of July, the deadline for the political parties to hand in their list of candidates for the 1998-2003 House of Representatives (DPR).
Sixteen government-backed senior PDI officials formed a committee to make a final decision on convening the congress. But their planned meeting at the PDI headquarters on June 3 had to be postponed because Megawati supporters had already got wind of their intentions and were ready and waiting. The meeting took place the following day at the Wisata Hotel. Meanwhile, a separate meeting of the Central Executive Board under Megawati was held at the party's headquarters.
Addressing supporters gathered before the June 20 march, Megawati, who has sacked the 16 officials involved in the committee, called the Medan congress "illegal". She said the approval had been granted by using falsified documents, and was intended to disrupt the PDI's preparation for next year's general elections. On June 13, she told the Jakarta daily Kompas that the congress was unconstitutional and had been engineered by forces outside the party. She stressed that the decision to hold the congress was an outcome of improper procedures and that it would not have been possible for the congress to be organised so quickly if it had not been engineered.
About 40 members of the breakaway faction visited the Home Ministry on June 7, disputing the legality of Megawati's 1993 election. The government quickly showed its public support for the congress. Opposition sources in Jakarta claim that the government has already made available A$500,000 for the exercise. Indonesia's official Antara news agency reported, "The government has already assisted in securing this congress, including the funding".
The regime has also sought to ensure "sympathetic" media coverage. According to the June 6 Jakarta Post, on the morning of June 2, Indonesia's chief editors were invited to attend a "media briefing" during which Hamid, Major General Suwarno Adiwijoyo and ABRI spokesperson Brigadier General Amir Syarifudin asked them "not to exaggerate" their coverage on Megawati.
A second meeting was held at the Hotel Equatorial in Jakarta and a third on June 5 with editors of the national weeklies. Syarifudin specifically asked the editors not to use the words "unseat" and "topple" in their reporting. Such "requests" must be seen in the context of the closure of three news weeklies in June 1994 and the jailing of journalists from the Alliance of Independent Journalists who protested the closure.