Jakarta – After eight relatively peaceful and calm days outside the Parliament building, the ninth day of the current annual general session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) yesterday was marred by a major turnout of demonstrators.

About one thousand National Guard (Garda Nasional) members, the youth wing of the National Awakening Party (PKB) flooded the parliament in Senayan, central Jakarta. Abdurrahman Wahid helped found the PKB prior to his election as president. Demonstrators came from West Java, Central Java and East Java.

Demonstrators said they wanted to deliver a concerted protest against moves within the MPR to issue a separate decree on the power sharing arrangement between the president and the vice president, which they consider to be inconstitutional.

A Nahdlatul Ulama Central Executive Board (PBNU), executive later threatened to impose sanctions against the protesters. PBNU's Rois Syuriah, KH Hafidz Usman, told reporters yesterday that the NU had earlier warned its members against staging protests over the MPR session, and had told them sanctions would be imposed if they went ahead with their plan.

At 10pm, around 300 protestors from Indramayu, Sukabumi and other districts in West Java, arrived at the entrance to the Parliament building. A second group from Central Java and East Java arrived at noon, swelling the ranks of demonstrators to around 1,000. After voicing their aspirations – through banners and posters as well as speeches – the groups dispersed at about 3pm, without incident.

Field coordinator Karim said the demonstration was aimed at protesting the partisan attitude of delegates to the MPR's annual general session. He added that demonstrations would continue if the MPR persisted in its move to issue a decree formalizing the proposed delegation of the day-to-day tasks of government to Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Other groups attending yesterday's protest were: Pijar Indonesia, the Action Front of Indonesian Students and Youths (JAMPI), the Indonesian Islamic Student Association (PMII), and the Nahdlatul Ulama Girl Student Group (IPPNU).

Pijar Indonesia Chairman Sulaiman Haikal accused the MPR session of trying to carry out a "constitutional coup" and "political blackmail" in its attempt to appoint Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri to run the day-to-day affairs of government, based on a proposed decree to be approved by the MPR.

"The delegation of the day to day affairs of government to the vice president, for which she will be accountable to the MPR, will make it easy for the Assembly to get rid of the Gus Dur – Megawati duo," Sulaiman said.