Jakarta – What would be the right present for Habibie on his 62nd birthday? A demonstration. That is what around 200 pro-democracy activists under the banner of the Committee for Total Reform (Komite Reformasi Total, KRT), gave him on Thursday morning (25/6), in front of his residence at Jl. Patra 14, Kuningan Jakarta.
KRT is a made up of a number of pro-democracy groups such as the Indonesian United Democratic Party (PUDI), the People's Democratic Party, the Fisabilillah Forum, the Islamic Forum for the Victims of Aceh, West Papua, Lampung and Tanjung Priok, the National Committee for Democratic Struggle, the Megawati Support Committee, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), Jakarta LBH, the Indonesian Cultural Party, the East Timorese National Front, the Indonesian Association of Advocates, the Independent Election Monitoring Group, Committee of the Disappeared and Victims of Violence and KRT Eastern Indonesia.
Who knows if it was because it was not considered dangerous, but the demonstrators lead by Sri Bintang Pamungkas, chairperson of PUDI, were able to hold the action at a football field which was only around 100 metres from Habibie's house. The security forces, made up of the police and the president's security guards, took no steps to drive them away. They only tried to prevent the activists from moving closer to the house.
The demonstration continued for around an hour until 11am. There were posters and banners which questioned the legitimacy of the Habibie government and KRT read a statement which demanded steps to overcome rising prices of basic goods, the seizure of Suharto and his crony's wealth, to be used for food for the people, the abolition of the People's Representative and Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR), the unconditional release of all political prisoners, an act of self-determination in East Timor and enacting transparent mechanisms for the general elections and the election of the next president.
The action was enlivened with speeches from all of the representatives of the different KRT groups. Bintang Pamungkas himself gave the last speech in which he again said that the DPR/MPR is illegitimate because it was born of dishonest elections and must be abolished together with its products, including the current Habibie government.
After Bintang's speech, the activists dispersed in an orderly manner. It is not known what Habibie's reaction was to the "birthday present" but it is certain that he had never imagined such a thing. Similarly, it is also not known what Habibie's family organised for his birthday on his first birthday since becoming president.
[Translated by James Balowski]