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)