Vaudine England, Jakarta – The Marine Corps is to investigate the death of one of its own in a shootout in central Jakarta which arose after East Javanese supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid were involved in a dispute over payment of hotel bills.
Details of Sunday's shooting suggest that the trip to Jakarta by the East Java demonstrators was well planned with the costs to be met by Muslim groups aligned to the President. This is in contrast to claims that a spontaneous decision was made to travel to the capital.
"The Marine who was shot was trying to settle some debts. I have ordered the Marine Corps chief to verify what happened and to take stern action," navy chief of staff Admiral Indroko Sastrowiryono said. "It was the Marine's personal problem. The incident has nothing to do with the Marine Corps as an institution," he added.
Reports say that chief sergeant Aliman was was shot dead by a police officer while firing his gun during a scuffle at the Ansor Youth Movement's offices. He had gone with his brother and a friend to the Ansor offices to try to get money to pay a hotel bill. Ansor is affiliated to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Muslim organisation President Wahid has headed for 15 years.
Many pro-Wahid demonstrators bussed into the capital in recent weeks are connected to Muslim groups and the Central Java leader of Banser, a paramilitary youth wing, has been questioned in connection with the incident. Banser is also affiliated to the NU.
President Wahid denies having called the demonstrators to the capital, but claims he cannot send them home. The demonstrators say they were acting out of personal, even "mystical" conviction, and are prepared to pay their own way. But when the bills fall due, their claims prove hollow.
The shooting lends credence to the belief that the arrival in Jakarta of street-fighting men from President Wahid's heartland is no coincidence, and is likely to have been arranged and paid for by NU-related groups.
The threat of violence from East Java if President Wahid is ousted is also giving many parliamentarians cause to reconsider their willingness to depose him for alleged corruption.
Some senior NU leaders are privately wondering how far their near-tribal backing of President Wahid should be taken, as the threat of violence risks discrediting the organisation. Analysts say this concern is probably behind the meeting today to discuss the permissibility in Islam of killing President Wahid's opponents.