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)