Development comes first

Development comes first

Brig. Gen. Wiranto, the chief of staff of the Jakarta Military
Command, has stressed that national development is more important
than democratization.

He told members of the influential Kosgoro, a mass
organization affiliated with the government-backed Golkar
political grouping, over the weekend that some people still
believe democratization would solve all of the country's
problems.

He made the remarks during a training workshop of the Jakarta
chapter of Kosgoro, which helped found Golkar in 1964, in the
Cikopo area of Bogor, West Java.

He said that political stability is a prerequisite for
development, adding that members of Kosgoro should "take a wise
stand" in the burning debate over issues like democratization and
national stability.

Wiranto denied allegations that the government's emphasis on
political stability has muzzled the peoples' wishes for political
reforms. (09)