ABRI denies reports on legislators
ABRI denies reports on legislators
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) faction of the House of Representatives denied press reports that there are 50 legislators with past communist links that should be screened out of the body.
"Those are just rumors," Hari Sabarno of the faction told The Jakarta Post by telephone yesterday, chiding the press for running stories which are not backed by with data.
"I'd like to straighten things up. The press should not confuse the public with such reports," he said after a ceremony to induct him as member of the General Election Organizing Committee.
He called on all parties not to spread "ambiguous information" which could create "new problems".
The issue of House members with communist backgrounds first grabbed attention nationwide following two demonstrations staged by an organization which calls itself the Foundation for Democratic Society Solidarity.
During the first demonstration held at the House earlier this month, the organization's leader, Bambang Heryanto, said he had the names of 50 House members whom he believed had past links with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
The organization later submitted an expanded list of 80 names, including those of the 50 legislators and members of regional legislative councils and some government officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Army Chief Gen. R. Hartono, who is also one of the chiefs of Bakorstanas, an internal security agency, responded to the allegations by saying that the agency plans to conduct a new screening process.
All House members were vetted before they were nominated as candidates for the 1992 general elections.
Minister of Defense and Security Edi Sudradjat said that he fully endorses the call for another round of screening for the legislators. He cautioned, however, that those making the allegations must also be prepared to give an account of their actions.
However, Hari Sabarno said the list consisted of names of people who were cleared of communist links by the military authority in South Sumatra in 1967.
Hari and other ABRI faction members met with Bambang and his friends during the first demonstration.
Hari said the documents submitted by the group to the ABRI faction were only photocopies with no addresses listed.
"There is one person on the list who is now a House member," Hari said.
He refused to name the person or his political organization, but said that because the list was of people cleared by the military, "there's no problem".
"The ABRI faction has checked with the person, and with his faction leaders. We then submitted the result of our investigation to ABRI headquarters."
Hari said that a fresh round of screening for the person is possible, but it would be the responsibility of that organization's leaders, or ABRI headquarters, not that of the military faction at the House, to ask that the procedure be initiated.
A screening team comprised of military intelligence people, personnel from the Attorney General's Office, as well of the Ministry of Home Affairs and other agencies, will start working next year.
The team will conduct special screening investigations of candidates nominated by the three political organizations contesting the polls held every five years.
The screening includes tracing the possibility of past links with the PKI and other communist organizations. People whose close relatives were involved in communist activities are automatically screened out.
Similar screenings are required of civil servants, members of the Armed Forces, politicians and people in certain "strategic professions", including teaching and journalism. (swe)