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)