ABRI vows to be 'fair referee' in next election
ABRI vows to be 'fair referee' in next election
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) promised yesterday to be a "fair referee" for the 1997 general election despite its special link with one of the three contestants, Golkar.
ABRI Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung said that the Armed Forces want to see a fair game because it is committed to making the election and the subsequent 1998 presidential election a success.
"The success of both political events is vital for both the people and the government," Feisal told a news conference at the conclusion of a three-day ABRI leadership meeting.
On hand at the press meeting were ABRI's General Affairs chief Lt. Gen. Soeyono, Socio-political Affairs chief Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, Intelligence Agency (BIA) chief Maj. Gen. Syamsir Siregar and ABRI spokesman Brig. Gen. Amir Syarifudin.
High on the agenda was ABRI's strategy to anticipate the heightening political climate in the lead-up to next year's general election.
In next year's election, the three contestants, Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) will compete for 500 seats in the House of Representatives.
ABRI, which dominates Indonesian politics, does not take part in elections but 75 seats in the House are reserved for them.
Lt. Gen. Suyono reiterated ABRI's determination to take harsh action against any party who dares to disrupt the election.
"Although political tension is heightening, internal security is totally under control," he said.
Syarwan said although ABRI has a special link with Golkar, it does not mean to favor the ruling political grouping at the cost of the minority parties.
"ABRI treats all the three contesting parties equally. Its traditional relation with Golkar will not affect its relation with the PPP and PDI," he said.
Golkar was founded in 1964 by ABRI to contain the growing influence of the Indonesian Communist Party, which was blamed for the bloody coup attempt in 1965.
ABRI has been on the defensive since Army Chief Gen. Hartono's recent controversial assertion that every Armed Forces member is a Golkar "cadre".
Critics say this implies that ABRI is siding with Golkar to ensure a landslide victory in next year's general election. Syarwan has assured the public that Hartono was airing his personal view, not ABRI's.
"Looking back at history, it is only natural that ABRI-Golkar relations have a distinctive color. It is like the relationship between a mother and her child," he said.
Syarwan reiterated ABRI's accommodating stand on the independent electoral monitoring committee (KIPP), which was founded on March 15 by journalists, lawyers, political activists and human rights activists.
"The Armed Forces welcomes the monitoring body as long as it does not break the law or interfere in the function of the official Electoral Supervision Committee," he said.
Chaired by Goenawan Mohamad, former editor of Tempo magazine the government shut down in 1994, KIPP has been widely welcomed but Golkar and government officials are openly opposed to it.
Officials say the independent watchdog is not necessary because it has no basis in law and will only confuse the supervision of the 1997 election.
Last week, the West Java military threatened recently to ban the independent poll committee if it was found violating election rules. (rms)