Bakin warns public about antigovernment movements
JAKARTA (JP): State Intelligence Coordinating Board (Bakin) chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Moetojib warned yesterday that antigovernment movements would intensify their efforts to disturb next year's presidential election.
Moetojib hoped the public would not be influenced by those movements to disturb the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) session, held next March to elect a new president and vice president and to adopt the new State Policy Guidelines.
"I hope their groups will be not large enough -- it will depend on the people themselves whether they want to be provoked or not," Moetojib said after meeting with President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace yesterday.
Soeharto is widely expected to be renominated for his seventh consecutive term for the 1998/2003 period, although he has not clearly expressed his readiness. Growing speculation is more on who will be the next vice president.
Responding to Golkar's statement Sunday that it had decided to renominate him for another term, Soeharto said: "I could be accused of obstructing succession ... I could also be accused of being a complacent Golkar cadre, being a president for six terms and now wanting a seventh term."
Soeharto, who turned 76 last June, then asked the nation to consider their support for his renomination, saying that there were five months left for the people to make up their mind.
Incumbent Vice President Try Sutrisno, State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie and Armed Forces Commander (ABRI) Gen. Feisal Tanjung have been mentioned as possible candidates, as well as State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Minister of Information R. Hartono.
Moetojib said ABRI and Bakin have identified antigovernment groups, including radical groups, in Central and East Java.
However, he said they would not be arrested unless there was strong evidence that they violated the law.
Diponegoro Military Commander Maj. Gen. Mardiyanto said in Yogyakarta Thursday that certain radical groups calling themselves "pro-democracy movements" were operating in Yogyakarta, Pekalongan, Surakarta and other cities in Central Java.
"These groups demand radical changes," he said when briefing members of the Yogyakarta legislative council during a special plenary session. Diponegoro Command covers the Central Java province and Yogyakarta.
"They also use all necessary means, including (exploiting) scholars and the press to discredit the government," Mardiyanto remarked.
Three ABRI members will face a tribunal for allegedly organizing illegal military exercises in the East Java town of Malang, ABRI spokesman Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan said last month.
They are identified as Lt. Col. Kunandar of the Artillery Training Center in Cimahi, West Java; Sgt. Maj. Suripto, a logistics staff member at the Army Strategic Reserves Command's second division; and First Sgt. Ekpriadi of the Navy Headquarters' data center.
They were allegedly part of a group of about 100 followers of Arief Kusno Saputro, who claimed to be the reincarnation of first president Sukarno. (prb)