Lukmanul Hakim/Hendra & GB, Jakarta – Representatives of 40 mass organisations which took part in the massive demonstration at the Surabaya, East Java, provincial parliament on 7 February went to the National Police headquarters today to clarify their version of events. They maintained that the demonstrators were not responsible for the destruction of the Golkar party offices which occurred that day but that unknown individuals infiltrated the protesters and started the fire which engulfed the building.
The delegation representing the 40 East Java organisations went to the National Police headquarters, Tuesday. The groups were, amongst others, the Laskar Santri (noble warriors' force), the People's Democratic Party (PRD) and the Forum of Constitution Upholders.
According to leader of the delegation Sunarto, the arson attack on the Golkar Party headquarters was not carried out by the people gathered by their organisations. Rather, they maintained that a certain group had infiltrated the masses and started the fire at the back of the building.
"The arson was not done by us. Just see, the fire originated not at the front of the Golkar Party headquarters, but from the back of the building," Sunarto said adding that a certain group acted to take advantage of the people's protests.
Sunarto and the delegation met with national police Chief Gen. S. Bimantoro. Yesterday, the police Chief backed-up claims made by Golkar leaders that the PRD was behind the attack.
However, Sunarto and the delegation said the PRD had not been involved in the incident although they were present at the demonstration at the parliament. "That allegation is totally baseless.
This is a way to corner our followers by using deliberate language and a scenario," he said. The Golkar leaders also said that 'communist' elements were responsible for the attack and have been slammed by PRD leaders and others for reverting to the propaganda of communism-phobia which was utilised by former president Suharto.
In support of their claim that another group had started the fire, Sunarto then said that there were eight witnesses who saw the outsiders infiltrate the group who burnt the Golkar Party office in Surabaya. "Our witnesses saw at least eight infiltrators in that incident," he said.