An invisible hand at work

An invisible hand at work

Every day disclosures about the Army's special force's
(Kopassus) involvement in the abduction of political activists
bring forth new surprises. That a special combat unit such as
Kopassus should involve itself in political and intelligence
activities seems astonishing enough to the public. And why should
a Kopassus base have a detention cell for the purpose of
interrogating and keeping dozens of activists? Why, too, should
Kopassus show more concern than any other unit in the Armed
Forces for the well-being of the state?

After Kopassus' involvement in this most disturbing case was
revealed by ABRI (Indonesian Armed Forces) Commander Gen.
Wiranto, the public assumed the ABRI leadership was naturally
aware of this most embarrassing matter. Imagine the shock people
felt when Gen. (ret.) Feisal Tanjung, who was the Armed Forces
commander at the time the abductions took place, claimed he was
totally unaware of the affair.

Feisal's ignorance of the abductions has added to the public
confusion. In an organization such as ABRI where discipline in
carrying out a superior's orders is exceedingly strict, how can
it be possible that a vital operation such as the abduction of
activists -- which began in 1997 -- can proceed without the
knowledge of the Armed Forces commander?

If Feisal was telling the truth, a shocking reality must be
acknowledged: the incredible power wielded by those ABRI
individuals who planned and ordered the abductions.

So far, the suspicion is directed at (former Kopassus
commandant-general) Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo has so far
also been the only one to publicly accept responsibility. Common
sense, however, tells us that Prabowo -- who claimed the
abductions were organized to protect the state -- could not have
planned and executed the operation all by himself. For any
operation to protect the state, such as carried out by Prabowo,
the orders must come either from the supreme commander of the
Armed Forces (the president) or the Armed Forces commander.

Therefore, if a person such as Feisal -- who has an honest
reputation within the ABRI leadership -- was uninformed about the
abductions, much less informed is the public at large. It seems
that an invisible hand has for too long been manipulating our
country and our people.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta