Elite forces chief confirms military loyalty to President

Elite forces chief confirms military loyalty to President

JAKARTA (JP): Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief
Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu confirmed on Friday he had assured
Abdurrahman Wahid of his soldiers' loyalty prior to the
President's departure on an overseas trip.

"I told Gus Dur to enjoy his overseas trip and to take time to
complete his religious duties (the haj pilgrimage)," Ryamizard
said, referring to the President by his nickname.

"I also told him not to have any negative thoughts of the
military; that rumors of a military coup were not true. The
soldiers have never had such thoughts," he said at his office
after performing the Friday prayers.

The President left Jakarta on Thursday morning for a two-week
trip abroad. Abdurrahman will travel first to Yemen, and then
head to the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Egypt and Nigeria,
concluding his journey by performing the haj pilgrimage in Saudi
Arabia.

The President held a predeparture meeting with top military
brass and senior aides at the presidential palace on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Coordinating Minister for
Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
the Indonesian Military chief, the chiefs of the Army, Navy and
the Air Force, the National Police chief, Minister of Defense
Mahfud M.D., Attorney General Marzuki Darusman and the
intelligence chief.

Later on Wednesday, Abdurrahman met with Ryamizard and the
commander of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus), Maj. Gen.
Amirul Isnaeni.

"I was told by the Army chief of staff that the President
wanted to see me.

"But during the one-hour meeting, Gus Dur did not specifically
ask me for security assurances or give me a mandate to maintain
security and order while he was away," Ryamizard said.

"Do you think I am so great that the President delegated that
authority to me?" the three-star general asked.

A military source, however, told The Jakarta Post that the
President did ask for security assurances from both Ryamizard and
Amirul.

"And since both officers are well informed of the situation in
the field, Gus Dur also asked them to inform him of all new
security developments at home," the source said.

Ryamizard said most of his meeting with the President was
spent simply chatting.

"The meeting on Wednesday was not that serious as about 45
minutes of it were spent merely joking," Ryamizard said.

Some military analysts have said the President's political
opponents may seize the opportunity presented by his absence to
incite instability. Unconfirmed leaked documents seem to support
this view.

There have been rumors that the relationship between
Abdurrahman and the Army's top officers, including Ryamizard, has
been tense since the President reportedly asked that the Army
chief, the Kostrad chief and the Kopassus chief be replaced for
disobeying presidential orders.

When asked if he and Abdurrahman discussed a possible
reshuffle of the Army's top brass, Ryamizard said there was
nothing wrong in his relationship with the President that
required repairing.

"Like Vice President (Megawati Soekarnoputri), Gus Dur also
knows me well. I am a professional soldier who will never become
involved in politics, such as voicing support for certain
political leaders," he said.

When asked if the President had called the meeting with him
because of his anxiety over security in the country, Ryamizard
said national security was worrisome and that the Indonesian
Military and other elements of the nation had to prevent the
"ship of Indonesia" from leaking.

"If we let these leaks grow bigger and bigger, I am afraid
that we are going to sink," he said. (02)