Solahuddin defends Wiranto's credentials<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"If you can't beat them, join them\" seems to be Solahuddin
\nWahid's motto.<\/p>\n
Only two years ago, Solahuddin tried hard and failed to
\nquestion several military officers, including Gen. Wiranto, over
\ngross human rights violations in the Trisakti and Semanggi I and
\nII shooting incidents.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, however, the prominent rights campaigner publicly
\ndeclared his alliance with Wiranto, claiming that they had the
\nsame vision, mission and commitment even in law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\"We have the same commitment to bringing about a just and
\nprosperous Indonesia,\" Solahuddin said when announcing his vice
\npresidential bid under Golkar, which has chosen Wiranto as its
\nflag bearer in the July 5 presidential election.<\/p>\n
To justify his decision, Solahuddin called on the public to
\ncome to terms with the past and not to dwell on its bitter
\nlegacy.<\/p>\n
\"We need to be wiser in looking into the past. The time is
\nright to turn vengeance into forgiveness and by revealing the
\ntruth... we hope that human rights abuse will not recur in the
\nfuture,\" he said to the thunderous applause from hundreds of
\nguests in attendance.<\/p>\n
Solahuddin, who is also known as Gus Solah, said that in the
\nnext few days he would hold talks with a number of non-
\ngovernmental organizations and victims of human rights abuse to
\nexplain his decision to team up with Wiranto.<\/p>\n
\"After completing the presidential registration with the
\nGeneral Elections Commission, I will pay them a visit. This is
\npart of my accountability to the public,\" said Gus Solah, a
\ndeputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights
\n(Komnas HAM).<\/p>\n
He declined to name which victims of rights abuses he would
\nmeet, but he said that it would include families of those who had
\nperished in the May 1998 riots and those of students who died in
\nthe Semanggi and Trisakti shooting incidents. All occurred when
\nWiranto led the Indonesian Military (TNI) and was minister of
\ndefense.<\/p>\n
Salahuddin also said on Tuesday that he had officially
\nrelinquished his position in Komnas HAM.<\/p>\n
Solahuddin led in 2002 a Komnas HAM team investigating the May
\n1998 riots. His team tried very hard to subpoena several key
\nmilitary officers, including Wiranto, but was unable to do so as
\nthey ignored the summons.<\/p>\n
Apart from the riots, Wiranto was also held responsible for
\nthe bloody mayhem that engulfed East Timor following a referendum
\nin which most voted to separate from Indonesia after 22 years of
\noppression.<\/p>\n
A United Nations-sponsored East Timor tribunal issued an
\narrest warrant on Monday for Wiranto for his alleged crimes
\nagainst humanity that took place before and after the territory's
\nbreakaway from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Wiranto said on Tuesday that the arrest warrant was the latest
\neffort in a smear campaign, involving certain parties in the
\ncountry, to thwart his presidential bid.<\/p>\n
\"This is nothing new. I have been accused of committing almost
\nthe worst of all crimes, from human rights violations, money
\ncounterfeiting to involvement in a bank scandal,\" he told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
Wiranto's bid for the presidency took a blow on Tuesday with
\nthe resignation of renowned political analyst Andi Alfian
\nMallarangeng from the United Democratic Nationhood Party (PPDK)
\ncentral board.<\/p>\n
He was disappointed by the party's decision to support
\nWiranto's candidacy. \"Wiranto is part of the country's troubled
\npast and I don't want to have a future leader who will be
\npreoccupied with efforts to clear his name,\" Andi said.<\/p>\n
Andi, however, appreciated the decision as it was made in a
\nlegitimate decision-making process.<\/p>\n
Party leader Ryaas Rasyid defended his party's stance on
\nWiranto, saying that the Golkar Party candidate had the strongest
\nchance of winning the presidential election.<\/p>\n
\"Based on our forecast, we believe that only Megawati and
\nWiranto will contest the second round of the presidential
\nelection on Sept. 20. But since PPDK is committed to the reform
\nmovement, it is impossible to support Megawati,\" Ryaas said.<\/p>",
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