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