An invisible hand at work<\/p>\n
Every day disclosures about the Army's special force's
\n(Kopassus) involvement in the abduction of political activists
\nbring forth new surprises. That a special combat unit such as
\nKopassus should involve itself in political and intelligence
\nactivities seems astonishing enough to the public. And why should
\na Kopassus base have a detention cell for the purpose of
\ninterrogating and keeping dozens of activists? Why, too, should
\nKopassus show more concern than any other unit in the Armed
\nForces for the well-being of the state?<\/p>\n
After Kopassus' involvement in this most disturbing case was
\nrevealed by ABRI (Indonesian Armed Forces) Commander Gen.
\nWiranto, the public assumed the ABRI leadership was naturally
\naware of this most embarrassing matter. Imagine the shock people
\nfelt when Gen. (ret.) Feisal Tanjung, who was the Armed Forces
\ncommander at the time the abductions took place, claimed he was
\ntotally unaware of the affair.<\/p>\n
Feisal's ignorance of the abductions has added to the public
\nconfusion. In an organization such as ABRI where discipline in
\ncarrying out a superior's orders is exceedingly strict, how can
\nit be possible that a vital operation such as the abduction of
\nactivists -- which began in 1997 -- can proceed without the
\nknowledge of the Armed Forces commander?<\/p>\n
If Feisal was telling the truth, a shocking reality must be
\nacknowledged: the incredible power wielded by those ABRI
\nindividuals who planned and ordered the abductions.<\/p>\n
So far, the suspicion is directed at (former Kopassus
\ncommandant-general) Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo has so far
\nalso been the only one to publicly accept responsibility. Common
\nsense, however, tells us that Prabowo -- who claimed the
\nabductions were organized to protect the state -- could not have
\nplanned and executed the operation all by himself. For any
\noperation to protect the state, such as carried out by Prabowo,
\nthe orders must come either from the supreme commander of the
\nArmed Forces (the president) or the Armed Forces commander.<\/p>\n
Therefore, if a person such as Feisal -- who has an honest
\nreputation within the ABRI leadership -- was uninformed about the
\nabductions, much less informed is the public at large. It seems
\nthat an invisible hand has for too long been manipulating our
\ncountry and our people.<\/p>\n
-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/an-invisible-hand-at-work-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }