Gus Dur says he will not meddle in military affairs

Gus Dur says he will not meddle in military affairs

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid again insisted that he never had any intention of dismissing Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, while his spokesman Yahya C. Staquf said that the President would not interfere in the military's internal organization.

Speaking to reporters at Merdeka Palace, his official residence, the President denied that he planned to replace Sutarto with former Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, saying that he had not met with Agus since the latter's dismissal from his post last year.

The President did not neglect to blame the press for carrying baseless reports.

"I would like to say it's all merely rumors," Abdurrahman commented on the reports of Sutarto's replacement.

Separately, Yahya, who was asked by the President on Monday to respond to questions concerning the military, hinted that the President would only replace military personnel based on the military's existing procedures.

According to Yahya, the President wants the military to manage its own internal organization and he will confine himself to endorsing their decisions.

"The President makes personnel changes within the TNI (Indonesian Military) using the general mechanisms," Yahya said.

According to People's Consultative Assembly Decree No. VII, issued in August of last year, the President must get the prior approval of the House of Representatives to replace and to appoint the chiefs of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the police. The Army, Navy and Air Force are not covered by the decree, which means the President is free to intervene in their personnel matters.

Amid persistent rumors about the fate of several members of the military's top brass, including Sutarto and the Kostrad commander Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, Kostrad put on a strong show of force on Saturday, declaring the Army's loyalty to the people.

At the same time, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Ex-servicemen (Pepabri), Gen. (ret) Try Sutrisno, also led 124 retired generals in expressing their support for the incumbent military leadership. Try is Ryamizard's father-in-law.

"The reports about the President's wanting to replace some senior officers and to promote a number of others, including Agus, are completely unfounded," said Yahya.

Meanwhile, Air Force Chief of Staff Marshall Hanafie Asnan eventually followed the Army and Navy chiefs in voicing opposition to the President's reported plan to declare a state of emergency and dissolve the House of Representatives.

The chief of the Air Force, which has been able to rehabilitate its reputation, which was tarnished during the alleged coup attempt by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965, appeared to adopt a more cautious stance, however.

"The Indonesian Air Force will not take sides in political issues. Our stance is the same as the stance of the TNI commander ... so you had better ask him," Hanafie said before hurrying to his car after attending a ceremony at Merdeka Palace.

Separately, the vocal Minister of Defense, Mahfud M.D., described the reports about a state of emergency and a plan to dissolve the House as being based on distorted information.

The minister again hinted that many parties, including the media and the Cabinet, were allowing themselves to be influenced by rumors.

"There were rumors that the decree had been signed. What was even crazier was that the decree was reportedly supported by the Navy and Army chiefs," Mahfud said. (dja)