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)