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)