Amien no enemy of the military, says Subagyo

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) has brushed aside speculation that it has developed a stronger rapport with government critics, as shown by its leaders' recent favorable remarks about Amien Rais.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo said Saturday that the military always maintained good relations with Amien, the chairman of the 28-million-strong Muhammadiyah Moslem organization.

"ABRI had never considered Amien Rais as an enemy," said Subagyo after the transfer of duty of the Army's special force (Kopassus) commandant-general from Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto to Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono.

"No. We've never made any government critics, including Amien Rais, our enemies," he said. "ABRI will always take the side of the people in its every decision regarding state affairs and policies.

"ABRI will always act as the stabilizer and lend dynamism to the country's political affairs."

Subagyo was asked by the media about the seemingly improving ties between Armed Forces leaders and Amien, who is known to be critical of many government policies.

Only last week, for instance, Subagyo praised Amien for his "wise and mature" criticism. This pat on Amien's back was followed almost immediately by a meeting between him and Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who reportedly told Amien to continue being critical.

Even earlier, the new Army Strategic Reserves Commander, Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, reportedly made similarly positive remarks about Amien.

Amien, who is also a staff lecturer at the Gadjah Mada University's School of Social and Political Sciences in Yogyakarta, recently called the new cabinet "unprofessional" as it included ministers with blemished records and the daughter of President Soeharto, Minister of Social Services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana.

Amien has also, prodded by protesting students, expressed his readiness to lead a people's power movement should the new cabinet fail to settle the monetary crisis in six months.

Subagyo, however, said Saturday he was confident Amien would not do anything that was against the 1945 Constitution.

"I know Amien Rais personally," he said.

He called on various government agencies to follow in ABRI's footsteps and initiate dialog with government critics and students.

Armed Forces Commander/Minister of Defense Gen. Wiranto is scheduled to hold a dialog with students from 17 universities on Saturday, in an attempt to defuse tension and absorb their concerns about the crisis.

Subagyo said the planned dialog was not novel, pointing out that ABRI leaders at both the national and local levels had developed the tradition over many years.

He expressed support for the students' peaceful, on-campus protests, but reminded them of their duty to study.

"They are the country's future leaders. Therefore, they have to prepare the skills and acquire the knowledge to be the leaders of the future," he said.

Yudhoyono was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday that the Armed Forces would always encourage intellectuals to be critical, in the sense that they viewed problems critically and responsibly and came up with solutions.

"The strength of intellectuals (lies) in that they make analyses of problems with the methodology and theories that they have mastered, then seek solutions. This is a strength that has to be encouraged," he said yesterday.

"Once intellectuals enter practical politics, however, this strength would fade, because they wouldn't be able to see things clearly and come up with appropriate solutions," he said.

He cited the campaign to give the new cabinet six months to prove its mettle, as an example of a misplaced critical attitude.

"That's not appropriate. What's correct is, let's all support the government in coping with the crisis in the coming months."

"Indonesia should not be a 'nation in waiting'. It should be instead a 'nation in doing', a 'nation in participating'," he said. "Now, this would be an educational stance, everybody shares the responsibility, everyone cares and participates." (imn/swe)