Force should not be used against disturbances: Edi

Force should not be used against disturbances: Edi

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security Edi Sudrajat told a seminar here yesterday that force should not be used to overcome disturbances to national stability that result from socioeconomic problems.

"We should apply preventive methods instead of force," he said, adding that "this is the responsibility of all parties including the society."

He said that all parties should have a common understanding that using repressive methods in overcoming social and economic problems would only create new problems, including the people's wrath and accusations of violations of human rights on the part of security personnel.

"The deployment of security officers in overcoming social problems is becoming more and more unpopular," he said.

The seminar, which was held at Gadjah Mada University, discussed the relationship between information openness and national resilience.

Armed Forces Commander General Feisal Tanjung, in a written speech to the seminar which was read by assistant to the chief of the Armed Forces Political Affairs Department, Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, said he objected to the habit of referring to the authorities as "penguasa" (power holders), saying it had a negative connotation and was tendentious.

"The term is not to be found in the 1945 Constitution," he said, adding that the authorities are "the people who run the government."

He asked Indonesian scholars to work out the meaning of openness within the Pancasila political system.

Feisal said in his written speech before a seminar that such a formulation is very important because the trend of openness will go on and on while, on the other hand, national development should continue.

"If we let openness go on free and unchecked the national identity and concept will be affected," Feisal said.

He said that freedom of expression should also be viewed from the point of view of culture and should be implemented in a manner consistent with local traditions and ethics.

"We want to be a cultured nation and provide a sense of peacefulness for all," Feisal said.

The freedom to criticize and make corrections are part of Indonesian culture, he said.

According to Feisal, the problem of a lack of freedom of expression had emerged during the past 10 years due to a lack of social communication.

To improve the situation, he said, statesmen "need to understand the language of intellectuals and respect the virtue of tolerance." (har/tis)