General denies rumors of division within ABRI
General denies rumors of division within ABRI
SURABAYA (JP): A senior army general has dismissed rumors of a
division within the Armed Forces as lies spread by irresponsible
groups.
Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen.
Syarwan Hamid told a gathering of officers at the Brawijaya
military command headquarters on Tuesday that the parties who
created such fabrications were using "divide and conquer" tactics
to split the nation.
"Such political deception is being carried out by
irresponsible parties," said Syarwan. His statement came in
response to rumors that Armed Forces chiefs were at odds over the
handling of the July 27 rioting in Jakarta, which erupted after
the storming of the disputed headquarters of the Indonesian
Democratic Party.
Syarwan sad these tactics reminded him of the plotting
conducted by the now-banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) to
divide the army before their abortive coup in 1965.
According to Syarwan, at the time, the PKI was successful in
pitting fellow officers of the Armed Forces against one another
and also against the people.
As a consequence, he said, people then lost their faith in the
Armed Forces.
Syarwan called on everyone to be wary of the tactic and
assured his audience that no dissension or division existed
within the Armed Forces.
"Maintaining vigilance doesn't mean that people need to keep
being suspicious of other people. It means being sensitive,
alert, and careful in viewing every evolving social phenomenon,"
he said.
Despite Syarwan's denials, political observer Ariwibowo
believes the very fact that someone of Syarwan's caliber is
taking the pains to counter the rumors means the issue is
probably being aired within military circles.
"Based on past political tendencies in Indonesia, if there is
a formal denial then the issue could very well be true," said
Ariwibowo, a political science lecturer at the state Airlangga
University here.
According to his analysis, Syarwan's denial reveals an
internal disquietude pervading the military's upper echelons.
"Now everybody knows that something is happening within the
army...which is unusual in Indonesia, where political life and
political movement are usually hidden," he told The Jakarta Post.
Ariwibowo, however, believed that there would be little
external impact even if outsiders realized that there was some
truth to the rumors.
"People in general are only watchers and listeners, they can't
do anything," he said.
He emphasized the gulf between the people and the policy
makers, as if they live in two different worlds.
"People are passive participants, very passive. Even the
legislative body, our representatives, can't say or do anything.
If they could, they should have done or said something about the
July 27 incident," he said.
Apart from countering rumors of a rift, Syarwan also stressed
the importance of ensuring a successful and peaceful election.
He called on everyone to ensure that the election is carried
out according to the regulations and laws.
"If there are many violations in the election then it won't
just be the contestants who will object but also the
international community, who will be watching us closely,"
Syarwan said.
He said that one of the indicators of a successful election is
when the winner wins with respect while the losers are not
disgraced.
Separately, some 2,000 residents of Madura Island on Tuesday
evening pledged to make the coming election a success.
At a ceremony attended by Golkar executive Siti Hardiyanti
Rukmana and Army Chief Gen. Hartono, the Madurese said they were
determined to counter any attempts to resurrect the communist
ideology in their community.
Headed by local Moslem businessman Achmad Zaini, they further
promised to help Golkar attain electoral victory on the island.
In the past Madura has been a strong base for the Moslem-based
United Development Party. (15/27/mds)