Army leaders to meet local veterans

BANDUNG (JP): Army leaders plan to hold talks with retired senior officers to discuss their perceptions about state affairs.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono said yesterday he has yet to set the date and venue for the forum where the participants can express their ideas freely.

"The idea has long been planned," Hartono told journalists after swearing in several Army officials assuming their new posts.

The chief of staff announced the plan at a time when several Army generals are in the hot seat over their criticism of the bureaucracy, including the Armed Forces.

Last month, President Soeharto questioned the outspoken veterans' commitment to implementing the 1945 Constitution and the state ideology Pancasila.

Several retired generals like A.H. Nasution, Solichin G.P. and Bambang Triantoro replied that their comments were an effort to contribute ideas for the betterment of the nation.

Hartono said the idea to bring together the veterans and active officers for talks came up long before the controversy over retired general's criticism flared up.

"It's you (journalists) who made it as if the idea is something new," he scoffed.

Hartono said that the Army leadership will select veterans to invite to the seminar, but priority will be given to graduates of the Army Staff and Command School who finished their studies between 1951 and 1961.

The general said some veterans naturally view current affairs with an old frame of mind, which is not always suitable.

"The current condition is of course different from the past, although there is nothing fundamental," Hartono said. (17/pan)