Government insists Habibie in control of the military

Government insists Habibie in control of the military

JAKARTA (JP): The government insisted on Thursday that the
military and the government were solidly behind President B.J.
Habibie, despite continuing speculation that obvious cracks in
the administration had "weakened" his presidency.

Habibie's spokeswoman, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, strongly rejected
circulating talk of a rift, saying that "Habibie is fully in
control and the relation between the military and the President
is very excellent".

"The government is very solid and the President is now
presiding over a meeting with military commanders," Dewi said.

She said consultations with top military brass would be a
common occurrence as they are now scheduled daily at 5 p.m. to
review the latest situation in East Timor.

Talk was rife Wednesday evening of Habibie's reported
resignation following a rumored military takeover.

Cracks within the government were well evident on Monday when
Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto went straight to
Habibie after his proposal for a state of military emergency in
East Timor was rejected in a Cabinet meeting.

Dewi contended that the military image was so in question at
the present time that it would not make sense for them to take
such a drastic measure.

"It is totally unthinkable for the military to do anything
undemocratic and unconstitutional at this point in our history
when the military has such a credibility problem," Dewi said,
referring to the public outrage over the military's past human
rights abuses.

She charged that rumors of a military coup "don't just want to
undermine Habibie, but Indonesia as a whole".

Discontent

Analysts have pointed out that elements within the military
remain deeply discontented with Habibie's hasty decision in
January to hold a ballot in East Timor, which ultimately led to
the rejection of the wide-ranging autonomy option.

The dissatisfaction, some have accused, has led to the wide-
scale bloodletting in East Timor by military backed militias.

Such a charge has been repeatedly denounced by military
officials.

However, foreign minister Ali Alatas, after accompanying
Habibie and Wiranto to a meeting with the five-man United Nations
Security Council delegation, conceded that "rogue elements" in
the security forces may have been involved.

Meanwhile, Golkar deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman told The
Jakarta Post in a telephone interview that Habibie must clarify
the rumors himself "rather than having somebody else do it like
Wiranto".

"This only makes things more complicated because Wiranto has
also been put on the spot," Marzuki said without elaborating.

Habibie, who has a reputation of being an avid
conversationalist and never shy of making impromptu public
comments, has not made a public statement in two days.

Marzuki claimed that Habibie's position had "definitely
weakened" as "he had to adjust to the military's request for
imposing martial law on East Timor".

"It is becoming more difficult for Habibie to impose his
political direction on the military because he is going to need
the military for backing him to win the presidential race,"
Marzuki said.

Analysts said that the military's 38 seats in the 500-member
House of Representatives would become crucial in the run-up to
the presidential election later this year.

Habibie, already reeling from a mounting banking scandal, has
seen his chances of retaining his presidency further battered by
events in East Timor. Many Indonesians condemn him for letting
the territory go, while the international community denounces the
violence there.

Marzuki said, however, the situation had benefited Wiranto
because "he is now able to bring out people like Maj. Gen. Kiki
Syahnakri".

Syahnakri, the operations assistant to the Army chief of
staff, has been assigned to head the Security Restoration Command
in East Timor.

"Wiranto is now in the position to balance out forces within
the Armed Forces... it could be the turning point in the Army's
apparent paralysis of taking charge of the situation in East
Timor," Marzuki said. (byg/prb)