Jakarta – Office buildings of the former ruling party Golkar in the capital city and in a number of Java's major cities were guarded yesterday, as hundreds of protesters of anti-New Order government of former president Soeharto turned, attacking the Jakarta office of Soeharto's former political machine.
Thousands marched through the capital in protests against Soeharto, as his lawyers said he was too brain-damaged to stand trial over graft.
The protests were organized by a coalition of political and student bodies to demand tougher action against Soeharto, and to mark the fourth anniversary of a bloody police raid on the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is now vice-president.
About 100 students from various groupings started their protests in front of building of the Golkar Jakarta Chapter by making speeches. Then followed burning of the yellow Golkar flag and bottle and stone throwing at the office located in Jl.Pegangsaan, in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Golkar cadres who guarded the building tried to retaliate by chasing the students.
In Surabaya, the country's second largest city, an alliance of a number of students organizations, stormed the East Java Golkar office building while in Semarang, the capital of Central Java, some 300 students calling themselves progressive groups burned the Golkar flag.
Chairman of the Golkar Jakarta Chapter Tadjus Sobirin said yesterday that the party had nothing to do with the July 27, 1996 attacks aimed to oust PDI Chairperson Megawati Soekarno-puteri.
A large group of protesters, some carrying mock coffins, marched from Soeharto's residence where the ailing 79-year-old has been under house arrest for almost two months, through the city to join another group carrying an effigy of Soeharto depicted as a devil.
Since Soeharto's downfall following social and economic chaos in 1998, violent protests have regularly demanded he be put on trial for corruption and human rights abuses. The Attorney-General's Office said on Wednesday former ruler Soeharto would be charged with corruption over the misuse of Rp1.4 trillion (US$155 million) from seven charities during his army-backed rule.
Chairman of the Semarang-based State Islamic Institute Abdul Gani said that the burning of the Golkar flag did not amount to a demand for dissolution of the party, but was a protest against Golkar's past behavior as well as the latest maneuvers by Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung.
Tandjung, who is also the parliament speaker, launched a fierce attack recently on reformist President Abdurrahman Wahid, saying Wahid had failed to grasp the meaning of the Broad Guidelines of State Policy (GBHN), as well as take advantage of the opportunity to revive the ailing economy.