Rights activist Adnan Buyung Nasution is calling the government paranoid for its response to a protest against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono planned by civil society groups for March 25.
"The government thinks that aspirations for change are the same thing as a coup d'etat. To me this is what paranoid people do," Adnan said as quoted by kompas.com.
The prominent lawyer, who was also previously a member of Yudhoyono's advisory council, said that the activists were ill-equipped to overthrow the government, which has been what National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman said was their goal.
Playwright Ratna Sarumpaet and her group, the Sovereign Indonesian People' Assembly (MKRI), will convene the rally to ask for Yudhoyono's resignation and the establishment of a transitional government.