Habibie 'inaccurate' in Prabowo's troops deployment

Habibie 'inaccurate' in Prabowo's troops deployment

JAKARTA (JP): Palace officials said on Wednesday President
B.J. Habibie had been "inaccurate" in his recent account of Lt.
Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto's deployment of his troops in May.
Some analysts have branded Prabowo's alleged move treason.

The officials pointed out Habibie had cited the wrong time for
Prabowo's deployment of two companies of the Army Special Forces
(Kopassus) loyal to him around Merdeka Palace and two other
companies around the residence of former president Soeharto on
Jl. Cendana in Central Jakarta.

The deployment took place much earlier than May 22, or one day
after Habibie took over the presidency from Soeharto, as Habibie
claimed in a meeting with Asian and German editors here on
Monday.

Actually, the officials pointed out, troops had been stationed
at the two locations as well as around Habibie's residence in
Patra Kuningan, South Jakarta, when Soeharto was still in Cairo
for a five-day visit that ended on May 14.

"Prabowo also deployed one company around Pak Habibie's
residence in Kuningan," one of the officials said.

"The troops were deployed there two weeks before Pak Harto's
resignation," he pointed out.

Prabowo reportedly told then Presidential Security Guard
(Paspampres) commander Maj. Gen. Sutarto that the presence of the
elite troops was needed to back up the guard.

Prabowo was formerly chief of Kopassus and of the Army's
Strategic Reserve Command. He was dismissed following revelations
of his involvement in the abductions of political activists last
year.

Habibie had told the opening of the Asia-German editors'
conference on Monday that he was informed by Minister of
Defense/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto that Prabowo
had deployed troops in several places in Jakarta without
Wiranto's approval just one day after he replaced president
Soeharto on May 21.

Habibie said he then gave orders that the troops return to
barracks and that Wiranto had said it was a good decision.

Separately, leading politicians Yusril Ihza Mahendra, chairman
of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and Amien Rais, chairman of the
National Mandate Party (PAN), on Wednesday urged Wiranto to
clarify the question of the reported deployment, which military
observer Gen. (ret) Rudini had said might be classified as
treason.

Amien said Prabowo, too, should give his account of the event.

Separately, in Bandung, West Java, former minister of defense
Gen. (ret) Edi Sudradjat said if there really was a troop
deployment, the military should take action against the officers
involved.

Amien went on to say that Habibie's address to the foreign
media "was probably intended to show there was a critical
situation which he had to face," to bring about a new perception
of him.

But Habibie's statement, Amien said, also showed the
possibility of "a deal between Wiranto and Habibie, that Wiranto
should save Habibie."

Clarification of the incident should be published "so the
public can make their own judgments".

"As far as I know, the Armed Forces comes under the Minister
of Defense," Yusril said. In response to suggestions that Habibie
should be more careful in giving public addresses, he said there
was no way to do so as everyone was free to speak.

Amien noted that Habibie's remarks had a political impact, but
did not elaborate.

Yusril and Amien both gave their comments on the sidelines of
a dialog among Muslim political parties at the hall of the Sunda
Kelapa mosque in Central Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Edi, who is chairman of the Justice and Unity Party
(PKP), said further that if Prabowo had violated military
procedures then "the matter should be cleared up".

He declined to confirm whether the incident indicated
frictions within the military. "If it is true, then it means some
military members were acting on their own," he said. (prb/43/anr)