ABRI told to stick to 'Dwifungsi'

ABRI told to stick to 'Dwifungsi'

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A senior statesman called on the Armed Forces
(ABRI) Saturday not to expand its Dwifungsi, or dual function in
defense and politics, to "multifunction".

Roeslan Abdoelgani said that ABRI should stick to Dwifungsi
and strengthen its commitment to serving the people as the
founding fathers intended.

"ABRI members should realize that they are the people's
soldiers," Roeslan said at Hotel Garuda when addressing 90
members of Yayasan Pembela Tanah Air, an organization of men who
fought to help Indonesia win independence in 1945.

Expanding the role, he argued, would only endanger ABRI's
current role as the protector of Indonesia's political stability
and security.

Roeslan declined to specify what prompted him to make the
statement.

"ABRI won't be able to carry out its Dwifungsi properly
because it would be overwhelmed by other jobs," he said.

Roeslan, President Soeharto's former advisor for propagation
of the state ideology Pancasila, said that ABRI was not
established to oppress and intimidate the people for political
ends.

"ABRI should never become a tool to steal people's basic and
political rights," he said.

Roeslan, one of 92 Yapeta members from various provinces who
traveled to East Java and Yogyakarta last week to lay wreaths on
the graves of independence proclaimer Sukarno and ABRI founding
father Gen. Soedirman.

Among the senior war veterans were Lt. Gen. (ret.) M. Karis
Suhud and Lt. Gen. Wahono. The latter is currently House speaker.

Joining the entourage were Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as
Gus Dur, and Sukarno's eldest daughter, Megawati Soekarnoputri.
She has been in trouble since she was toppled from the
chairmanship of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in a
government-backed congress last year. She was replaced as party
chief by Soerjadi.

Roeslan's speech on Saturday night was given in place of a
planned talk by Yapeta members on political and security issues.
The original idea was to come up with a statement of concern
about the latest political and security developments in the
Indonesia.

"The dialog was abruptly canceled as a result of a small
incident in the afternoon (Saturday), in which Wahono failed to
join us on our visit to Sukarno's grave in Blitar," a Yapeta
member, who asked to remain anonymous, said after the meeting.

The source said that Wahono canceled his visit to Sukarno's
grave as soon as he had been informed upon arriving in Blitar
that Megawati would be hosting the ceremony.

Initially, it was Guntur Soekarnoputra, her younger brother,
who had agreed to play host. Megawati is a House member from the
PDI.

"Wahono would have come to the grave if it was Guntur who
escorted us," the source said. Wahono flew back to Jakarta
shortly afterward on the same day, he added.

Yapeta chairman Pamoe Rahardjo said earlier that there should
have been no problem with Megawati's presence because the Yapeta
members' visit to the grave of the country's best sons, and
Megawati's role as host, had been approved by President Soeharto.

Megawati, who won by popular vote in an extraordinary congress
convened by the party in Surabaya in 1993, is waging a legal
battle to regain leadership of the party. In her latest political
ordeal, she and her husband Taufik Kiemas were questioned by
police last week for hosting a political meeting at her home.

Yesterday, Yapeta members visited the grave of Gen. Soedirman,
and later met with his widow at her residence in Yogyakarta.

The foundation members are scheduled to visit the grave of
another founding father, Mohammad Hatta, in Jakarta on Thursday.
(imn)

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