ABRI played a part in president's exit: Analyst

ABRI played a part in president's exit: Analyst

JAKARTA (JP): A political observer said yesterday he believed
the Armed Forces (ABRI) played an important role in the process
toward Soeharto's resignation.

Indria Samego, who is a researcher in the political department
of the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI), was quoted by
Antara news service as saying that ABRI was an essential factor
behind the resignation. "As one of the real political forces
here, ABRI's role was essential in the resignation."

It was reported that hours before Soeharto announced his
resignation, he met with Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto,
concurrently minister of defense and security, who later held
urgent talks with the three ABRI chiefs of staff and the national
police chief.

Minutes after the resignation, Wiranto addressed a media
briefing in which he expressed support for the new president and
Soeharto. "ABRI supports and welcomes Bapak Soeharto's request to
step down as president of the Republic of Indonesia and, based on
the Constitution, supports Vice President B.J. Habibie as the
president."

Wiranto, Soeharto's former adjutant, vowed to protect Soeharto
and his family and other national leaders. "ABRI will continue to
maintain the safety and dignity of ... Bapak Soeharto and his
family," he pledged.

Indria said he and several colleagues including Moslem scholar
Nurcholish Madjid were invited by Armed Forces Chief of
Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for a
discussion last Wednesday.

"We conveyed to him then that in the spirit of reform, ABRI
should take the people's side," he said. Susilo, he added,
"understood" how the campaign for reform had grown significantly.

Soeharto's resignation is proof that not only does ABRI
maintain its social political roles well, it also remained solid
despite rumors of a rift among its leaders, he said.

But former Army chief of staff Gen. (ret.) Rudini believed
that no ABRI leaders had ever requested Soeharto to resign. "From
what I know, ABRI only insisted that any process took place in
accordance with the procedures," he said.

"Which really played a role (in the resignation) was the other
countries, namely IMF (the International Monetary Fund) and
countries behind it," he said. "Of course pressure from home,
including students' demonstrations, also played a role, but the
dominant factor was foreign pressure."

Analysts have often expressed their conviction that only ABRI
could persuade Soeharto to resign as a prerequisite for reform.
M. Najib Azca, a researcher at Gadjah Mada University's Center
for the Studies of Defense and Peace, said recently that without
ABRI's support, no endeavor for change would survive, much less
succeed.

"Even the military realizes that the Indonesian political
system is fragile," said Najib, whose master's thesis was on the
Armed Forces' dual function, or dwifungsi, straddling
sociopolitical roles. He devised it based on in-depth interviews
with five anonymous high-ranking ABRI officers.

He said ABRI was not only perceived as the strongest political
channel, but would also retain its current position for decades
to come.

"Actually, what's more important to discuss is the ABRI
position following reform, (what should it do) if the system
becomes more democratic," he said.

"We have to learn from history. In the early years, those who
initiated reform then thought that the alliance with ABRI was
based on equality. They were cheated," he said.

"This is why now, rather than talking about reform, we need to
discuss the platforms for equal alliance with ABRI. Like it or
not, there should be an alliance with ABRI." (swe/imn)