A.F.Review: Stabbing Triggers Alarm For Wahid's Rule (fwd)

["M.G.G. Pillai" <pillai@mgg.pc.my>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 06 Mar 2000 12:28:21
From: tapol@gn.apc.org
Reply-To: "Conference act.indonesia" <indonesia-act@igc.org>
To: Recipients of indonesia-act <indonesia-act@igc.org>
Subject: A.F.Review: Stabbing Triggers Alarm For Wahid's Rule

From: TAPOL <tapol@gn.apc.org>
Subject: A.F.Review: Stabbing Triggers Alarm For Wahid's Rule 

Received from Joyo Indonesian News

Australian Financial Review
Tuesday, March 7, 2000

Stabbing triggers alarm for Wahid's rule 

By Tim Dodd, Jakarta 

Close political associates of Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid have 
warned that the stabbing attack on one of his aides is aimed at sabotaging 
his presidency and destabilising the country.

Mr Matori Abdul Djalil, who was stabbed in his Jakarta home on Sunday, was a 
key go-between with army generals to secure their support before the 
President's successful purge of former armed forces chief General Wiranto and 
his followers.

Mr Matori, who is also the chairman of President Wahid's political grouping, 
the National Awakening Party, is resting in hospital after the attack which 
left him with cuts to his head and right arm.

Mr Muhaimin Iskandar, the party's secretary-general, said the attack was 
"aimed at shaking national stability, so people believe Indonesia is not 
secure".

And one of the leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the 30-million strong Muslim 
organisation which is the President's political power base, said the attack 
was intended as a warning to the President.

"Matori is not the main target. The main target is Gus Dur," said Dr Said 
Aqiel Siradj, using the President's widely used nickname.

Both President Wahid and the National Police Chief, Lieutenant-General 
Rusdihardjo, said the attack on Mr Matori could have political motives, 
although the President stressed that the motive for the crime might be 
private.

The attack on Mr Matori ended in a wild melee after his assailant fled with 
an accomplice on a motorbike which soon crashed. The pair, who were armed 
with a gun, then hijacked a motorbike taxi, or ojek, and ordered the 
terrified driver to drive.

Angry ojek drivers intent on revenge for the hijack later caught up with the 
pair and beat one suspect to death. The other escaped and is still being 
sought by police.

In a recent interview with Jakarta's Forum news magazine, another close 
associate of the President, parliamentarian Mr Effendy Choirie, said Mr 
Matori had secretly met Lieutenant-General Tyasno Sudarto and Major-General 
Agus Wirahadikusumah at the Borobudur Hotel last year and the two agreed to 
support the President.

Shortly afterwards, in early December, General Sudarto, previously a Wiranto 
supporter, was promoted to the army's top post of chief-of-staff.

General Wirahadikusumah, who has a well-established reputation as an army 
reformer, then began an unprecedented public sniping campaign against General 
Wiranto and criticised the army's role in politics and its endemic corruption.

He was rewarded last week with a promotion to the army's top combat command, 
the chief of the Kostrad, or Strategic Reserve.

According to Mr Choirie, Mr Matori was also influential in choosing Admiral 
Widodo Adisucipto to take command of the armed forces. The President accepted 
his advice to choose Admiral Widodo over General Wiranto's preferred 
candidate, who became the deputy.

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TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath,
Surrey CR7 8HW, UK
Phone: 0181 771-2904   Fax: 0181 653-0322
email: tapol@gn.apc.org
Internet: www.gn.apc.org/tapol
Campaigning to expose human rights violations in
Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh

26 years - and still going strong 
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