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)