Farouk Arnaz & Nurfika Osman – Despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono saying they were politically motivated, anticorruption and rights activists confirmed plans to hold demonstrations to mark International Anti-Corruption Day on Wednesday and Human Rights Day on Thursday.
"Its been an annual agenda for us. Every year we always mark those two special days," said Haris Azhar, deputy chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras). "We are concerned about the president's statement. We did not even invite any political party leaders."
Indonesian Civic Network chairman Ray Rangkuti said the president was panicking because his government was potentially implicated in the Bank Century bailout scandal. "However we would like to say thanks because we got free publicity by the president about our agenda," he said. "Thank God the president acts like our spokesman."
Yudhoyono, speaking during a cabinet meeting on Friday and addressing a Democratic Party meeting on Sunday, said he had been warned that the true motives of some expected at the protest were not to rid the country of graft.
"It is politically motivated, which is not always related to the effort of eradicating corruption," Yudhoyono said on Friday.
Ray said several prominent figures would take part in the antigraft demonstrations, including Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsudin, Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi, academics Effendi Gazali and Yudi Latief, and former legislators Kwik Kian Gie and Drajat Wibowo.
"Its nonsense that those people have political motivations," Ray said. "It's a pure anticorruption movement. We will be glad if the president comes and gathers with us to see for himself."
Ray said the demonstrators planned to gather at Monas in front of the US Embassy around 12 noon on Thursday and would march to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
"How could our demonstration movement could force the president to step down?" Ray said. "It sounds impossible. We hold a peaceful rally anyway and the only issue is we want a clean Indonesia."
On Sunday, thousands of members of the Muslim organization Hizbut Tahir Indonesia held rallies in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan, Makassar and Yogyakarta protesting over the Century scandal.
"This is our expression of sadness and disappointment as it happens when many people in the country are suffering economical problems," HTI spokesman Muhammad Ismail Yusanto told the Jakarta Globe.
In the rally, the organization set forth demands regarding the Century case. "We want all parties who are involved in the case to be punished based on the legal system we have. This case should be settled immediately," Muhammad said.
HTI's second demand was for the government to change its financial system as capitalism was proven to be a broken system.
"We think the Century case is proof that we have a broken financial system which is a capitalistic one," Muhammad said. "The government should immediately think of a new system that is fair for anyone in the country."