Sukarno Hits Out Angrily At Critics

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31096, 27 June 1966, Page 13

Sukarno Hits Out Angrily At Critics

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) DJAKARTA, June 26. The Indonesian President, Dr. Sukarno, angrily brushed off reporters’ questions yesterday about rising attacks on his rule and declared that the Malaysian confrontation was continuing.

He met the reporters after a hastilycalled meeting of the ruling inner Cabinet at his palace at Bogor, near Djakarta. As he met the six-man cabinet, more than 9000 students massed outside the Congress Hall in Djakarta and demanded Dr. Sukarno’s complete removal from power. Large student demonstrations in February and March forced Dr. Sukarno to relinquish much of his power to a military-civilian group headed by Lieutenant-General Suharto. The Provisional People’s Consultative Con-

gress, the country’s highest legislative body, went into session last Monday and endorsed the transfer of power to General Suharto. After the meeting at Bogor, a spokesman said that the group discussed the criticism against Dr. Sukarno in Congress, the nation’s economy and Malaysia. Dr. Sukarno, in uniform, emerged shortly afterwards and was asked his reaction to the criticism of him in Congress. “Wait and see,” he replied. Real Issues Dr. Sukarno said he was closely following the views expressed by delegates, but he became angry when pressed on the Congress issue and his address to it on Wednesday. His speech was severely criticised for failing to discuss real issues. Asked why he did not mention the Indonesian Communist Party, which has been destroyed since its abortive coup attempt last October, Dr. Sukarno snapped “leave that to me.” When pressed on his report

to Congress, he replied: “The people are patiently waiting. Only you are not. If there are those who think it was not a progress report, they are free to say so.” Dr. Sukarno also angrily accused Indonesian reporters of misquoting his speeches. In general, however, Dr. Sukarno’s anger seemed to reflect his over-all displeasure with the public reaction against his speech, in which he said Congress had no right to strip him of such titles as “President for Life” and “Great Leader of the Revolution,” which it voted to him three years ago. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s topranking general indicated for the first time yesterday that a general election for the presidency would soon be held. General Abdul Haris Nasution, the newly-elected chairman of the Provision People’s Consultative Congress, told 10,000 cheering students that “the general election will make out who the true representatives of the people are and who our president and vice-president will be.”