ABRI ends obligation to pick Golkar in polls
JAKARTA (JP): Spouses and children of Armed Forces members are no longer obliged to vote for the ruling political organization Golkar and are free to choose whatever political party they want.
The historical statement, issued on Saturday by the Armed Forces Veterans Association (Pepabri), may serve to break the tradition of ABRI support for Golkar which has existed since the first election held by the New Order government in 1971.
The statement was issued by Pepabri chairman Gen. (ret) Try Sutrisno at the end of a two-day closed meeting held by the ABRI Big Family (KBA) at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah recreational park in East Jakarta.
KBA is made up of four organizations, including PEPABRI and the Communication Forum of Indonesian Veterans' Children (FKPPI). Like the Armed Forces itself, it has for the past six general elections been strongly linked to the dominant Golkar party.
"KBA members will now be free to vote for any political party they choose in the next general election," Try said.
Try said the Armed Forces Big Family, and especially Pepabri, wished to change its face and become more democratic than it was in the past.
"It's not the era of giving orders (regarding voting) anymore. It's now the era of reform," he said.
"The Armed Forces (ABRI) and KBA have a close relationship historically. But their political aspirations should not be based on vertical loyalties anymore," he said.
Bambang Trihatmodjo, the FKPPI chairman and second son of former president Soeharto, echoed Try's statement, saying: "The recommendation issued by the KBA coordinative meeting is correct."
The seventh point of the meeting's recommendations stated that despite their commitment to maintaining their historical relationship with Golkar, KBA members' political aspirations should no longer be channeled through the ruling political organization.
"Their political aspirations should now be based on their trust, expectations, conscience, vision of struggle and political rights," read the recommendation.
The Army, together with six mass organizations, merged and formed Golkar in 1964 in an effort to overcome the increasing influence of the now-outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
Present at the closing ceremony of the meeting were a number of respected retired generals including former speaker of the House of Representatives Gen. (ret) Wahono, former minister of home affairs Gen. (ret) R. Hartono, former National Police chief Gen. (ret) Banurusman Astrosemitro, businessman Pontjo Sutowo and a number of FKPPI officials including Didiet Haryadi and Indra Bambang Utoyo.
Threats of division among junior and senior members of the KBA emerged in July immediately after Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung was elected chairman of Golkar. In the election, he beat off a challenge from former minister of defense Gen. (ret.) Edi Sudradjat. Edi is a member of the veteran's association.
Akbar's victory was strongly protested by Edi's supporters, mostly members of the veteran's association and FKPPI, who accused the government and Armed Forces officials of interfering in the election in Akbar's favor.
Some members of the veteran's association and FKPPI then helped to form the Barisan Nasional (National Front), which unites a number of opposition figures.
A debate has raged over whether members of the Armed Forces should vote for Golkar for a number of years. Conflicting statements on the issue have emerged from within ABRI. One camp believes that since ABRI belongs to the people, it should not vote for the ruling Golkar, while others believe that the Armed Forces are intimately linked with Golkar through the two organization's shared history. (imn)