Sukarno Under Attack

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31061, 17 May 1966, Page 17

Sukarno Under Attack

(N.Z. Preus Assn. —Copyright) I DJAKARTA, May 16 President Sukarno is like a desperate man hanging on the face of a cliff—the more he kicks and struggles, the more he slips, the Associated | Press reported. An Associated Press cor respondent, Jeff Williams wrote: To make it worse some people standing on top of the cliff are stamping on President Sukarno’s fingers. The wily, flamboyant President of Indonesia has been kicked before, and has hung on. But the going is rougher this time. Political fronts and student orgtnisations, all with tacit military support, have in the last two months opened a continued and sometimes biting attack on the President The cry is out to force President Sukarno to adhere strictly to the constitution. This would mean an end to his dictatorial powers. It would mean he must be subordinate to the nation’s

highest legislative body, the Provisional Peoples’ Consultative Congress. The attacks were unprecedented in this nation where few have spoken openly against President Sukarno and still walked the land freely. Gaols are still full of persons who opposed him. Whereas his name was used daily in major headlines in all the papers, it now often goes unmentioned. His telephone calls are all screened, as are his visitors. He lives largely in the lonely splendour of his palaces here in Djakarta and in Bogor, his mountain retreat 40 miles to the south. He used to fly there in his helicopter, but he now goes by car. He no longer is allowed to fly. “Tries to Fight” President Sukarno tries to fight back. Early this month he attempted to dissolve the Congress, the body which many believed would strip him of much of his powers and titles. The military strongman. Lieutenant-General Suharto, to whom President Sukarno turned over most of his powers in March, stood fast and refused to allow it,

highly reliable sources disclosed afterwards. President Sukarno then demanded the Congress meeting be delayed until at least June. General Suharto agreed. Some see this as a victory for President Sukarno, a new fingerhold on his Presidential cliff. The move, however, appears more likely to be in General Suharto’s favour. Still at Head General Suharto can begin by continuing to oust socalled Communist elements from the Congress and replacing them with men loyal to him and the new Government And he can consolidate his military backing to ensure no moves to support President Sukarno are made if the President begins to fall. But President Sukarno is still technically at the head of the Indonesian nation and presumably still popular with the masses. Whether he will be removed—or whether military leaders believe it is worth it to remove him—remains to be seen.

Extremists argue he should be removed entirely. The moderates say he should be made a figurehead.