Moerdiono joins 'clobber' debate<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's threat to \"clobber\" anyone
\nattempting to unconstitutionally unseat him should serve as a
\nwarning to potential lawbreakers, Minister\/State Secretary
\nMoerdiono said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"Pressing for political aspirations through undemocratic and
\nunconstitutional means is against our legal and constitutional
\nsystem. The President's remarks were a warning against those
\nwanting to try to bring him down illegally,\" Moerdiono said.<\/p>\n
He said Soeharto's statement was part of his duty to make sure
\nlaw and the 1945 Constitution are upheld.<\/p>\n
\"President Soeharto was sworn-in to uphold the laws and the
\nconstitution. It is his job to take action against any
\nunconstitutional efforts to disturb the nation's stability and
\norder,\" he said.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto triggered the debate last week when he
\nvisited the Central Java town of Boyolali to inaugurate a haj
\ndormitory. In a dialog with prospective haj pilgrims, he said he
\nwould not hesitate to clobber anyone attempting to unseat him
\nillegally.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said the President's statement was not the first to
\nremind people of the constitutional way to play politics.<\/p>\n
\"President Soeharto has, since the beginning of his terms of
\noffice in the late 1960's, repeatedly called for people to abide
\nby the constitution,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's warning was his second warning. The first was
\nissued on his way home from a trip to Eastern Europe in 1989.<\/p>\n
Asked whether there were signs of any unconstitutional
\nattempts to disrupt national stability and order, Moerdiono said
\nthe President had obtained much information on the latest
\npolitical developments.<\/p>\n
\"President Soeharto has many sources of information on the
\ncountry's political situation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security
\nSoesilo Soedarman said the President's statement did not suggest
\nthe government would take the law into his hand in disciplining
\nlawbreakers.<\/p>\n
\"The government will always stick to the prevailing laws. We
\nwill not arbitrarily clobber anyone suspected of breaking laws,\"
\nSoesilo said after chairing a National Oceanic Council plenary
\nmeeting yesterday.<\/p>\n
He supported other officials' theory that the President's
\nstatement was to warn those flirting with the idea of trying to
\ntopple the government illegally.<\/p>\n
\"We will definitely take harsh action against them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But Soesilo refused to say if the government had a list of
\npeople it was watching. (imn)<\/p>",
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