Dissidents Seek Amicable Settlement to Dispute

=== [PDF page 1] === Indonesia Dissidents Seek Amicable Settlement to Dispute BK1807075791 Jakakarta THE JAKARTA POST in English 10 Jul 91 p 1 [Text] Jakarta (JP)}—The Petition 50 dissident group will seek to disentangle the various restrictions imposed on them through an amicable settlement (musyawarah). In a press conference colored with an attack on a senior minister, the group made it clear here yesterday that it would seek court settlement only as a last resort. “After a meeting with Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Sudomo and the DPR (House of Representatives),” said Slamet Bratanata, a leading member of the group after the press conference “we intend to meet with President Suharto.” The press conference was held at the residence of former Jakarta governor Marine Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ali Sadikin, another leading member of the group, following a twohour meeting attended by some 25 people, including former police chief Hugeng Imam Santoso, lawyer Anwar Haryono, and freedom fighter S.K. Trimurti. The group came into existence in 1980 after 50 people, including former high ranking officials and intellectuals, signed a letter sent to DPR asking for clarifications on two presidential speeches the group considered as endangering Pancasila democracy. === [PDF page 2] === The group's decision yesterday was closely linked to the results of its meeting with the DPR last Thursday. In the DPR meeting, legislators said they viewed the ‘Petition 50” issue (the sending of the Ictter to DPR) as a closed case, urged the group to settle their case amicably (musyawarah) and only resort to the court as a final attempt. The group said yesterday that it would consider the “Petition 50” issue as a closed case only if the government lifted all the restrictions. The various restrictions imposed on the group since 1980 included a ban of travel abroad, inavailability of bank loans, inavailability of access to the media and a ban on attending meetings where the president and the vice president are also present. “What we aim for is the implementation of chapters 27 and 28 of the 1945 Constitution,” Bratanata said, “Which provides citizens equal status before the law, the right to have a dignified life and work and the freedom to assemble and to express oneself written and verbally.” The lifting of the restrictions, he said, will give the group more leeway to contribute to national devleopment, “There are numerous issues to be addressed and we cannot end up only by writing letters on those issues to the DPR,” Bratanata said referring to the group's some 200 letters sent to DPR during the last 1! years. The group also said that by Musyawarah they meant a refusal to make an apology to the President ‘as long as there is no logic in that.” Minister Sudomo had asked the group to make an apology to President Suharto when he met with the group in May. Sudomo said he considered the letter written by the group to the DPR in 1980 as an offense against the President. The letter had asked for a clarification on two presidential speeches the group considered endangering Pancasila democracy. Sadikin had dismissed as baseless a statement made by Sudomo in his visit to Banda Aceh recently. Sudomo had said that the group was a threat to national stability. ‘“Haven’t we all gone through a long period of stability?” he asked with his voice rising, “please, you assess this statement. Has the country been plagued with rebellions?”: Ali asked while showing Editor weekly who quoted Sudomo.