Alisa P, Jakarta – Speaking at the offices of the Dakwah Muhammaddyah, Munir SH, the executive director of Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) said that National Mandate Party (PAN) chairperson Amin Rais must be responsible for the reformasi stalling. Especially since Rais is attempting to team up with the military as his partner in the coming presidential elections.

Munir said that this is a mistake and criticised Rais as a traitor of reformasi. If there is a perception that people miss the military it is mistaken, the one’s who miss the military are only the urban middle class while in villages in Aceh, were farmers are being killed by the military in land disputes, of course they will not forget the military’s crimes said Munir.

Rais’ desire to team up with the military in the presidential elections has received a great deal of criticism from a number of groups, Rais’ attitude represents a betrayal of reformasi and Rais’ claims to be a locomotive of reformasi is merely to attract support, said Wahyu from the Action Study Circle for Indonesian Democracy (LS-ADI).

Like Munir, many figures from the Islamic mass organisation Muhammaddyah [from which Rais draws his main base of political support] also feel disappointed with Rais’ desire to invite the military to be his partners. One particular figure from Muhammaddyah in Aceh said that to date neither Rais or PAN have a program to resolve the Aceh question democratically. It is this situation which is of great concern, that reformasi will not be able to be saved and New Order regime together with the military will return to power.

[Translated by James Balowski.]