ABRI told to remain impartial
ABRI told to remain impartial
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security Gen. (ret) Edi Sudrajat said yesterday that the Armed Forces should work with other sociopolitical forces and not just the ruling Golkar group to help develop the nation.
The political role of the Armed Forces (ABRI) is based on Law No. 20/1982, which stipulates that it must work together with all sociopolitical forces to ensure national development, Edi told reporters after swearing in Lt. Gen. Sofian Efendi as governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) to replace Lt. Gen. Moetojib.
Moetojib will be inducted as chief of the State Intelligence Coordinating Board (Bakin) to replace Lt. Gen. (ret.) M. Sudibyo.
Edi was asked to comment on a recent statement made by Army Chief Gen. Hartono proclaiming all ABRI members to be Golkar cadres. The statement provoked immediate outrage among political observers and other political groupings.
Hartono, who made the statement at a Golkar gathering in Central Java, was also quoted as saying that ABRI, which established Golkar in 1964, has a political interest in supporting the ruling political group in order to safeguard the 1945 Constitution and the state ideology, Pancasila.
Those who have protested Hartono's statement, including leaders of the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party, want ABRI to remain impartial and true to its roots -- the people.
Edi said that ABRI would never be separated from the people.
"ABRI is always united with the people because it comes from the people and belongs to the people," he said.
Edi said that a small segment in society is still skeptical of the archipelagic concept and national resilience as a national doctrine.
He expressed his hope that Lemhanas under Gen. Sofian would be able to use its strength as an academic institute to help the military and government officials implement the doctrine.
Sofian, 53, spent 22 years of his military service in the Army's special force (Kopassus) after he graduated from the Army Academy in 1964.
In 1987 he was appointed deputy chief of the red-beret command, a post he held until 1989.
Before his appointment to Lemhannas, Sofian held several posts in the military: commander of the North and East Aceh military district (1989-1991); chief of staff of the Bukit Barisan military command comprising Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau (1991-1993); chief of the Wirabuana Military Command overseeing Sulawesi (1993-1994); and assistant to the chief of staff of ABRI's general affairs (1994-1995). (rms)