Instability too costly for Indonesia, Feisal says

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung says the price that Indonesia pays for turmoil like that witnessed in Medan, North Sumatra, last month is too expensive for the nation to bear.

Indonesia must take the incident as a lesson, because there are indications that parties are seeking to challenge stability in this country, Feisal said in a written speech read by ABRI's Deputy Socio-Political Affairs Maj. Gen. TNI Harry Sabarno before leaders of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) at Kopo, Bogor, on Saturday.

National stability has become an iron necessity for Indonesia's development, Feisal said as quoted by the Antara news agency.

Unfortunately, Feisal said, stability is frequently identified with troopers standing in the front row.

"Such an opinion must be lamented because the sources of instability are really multi-sectoral and emanate from society itself."

Cases preceding Medan riot such as protests over land appropriation and industrial disputes have often left ABRI a dilemma, Feisal said.

If a demonstration is banned, it spurs accusations that there is no democracy in Indonesia, but if tolerated, ABRI has difficulties containing it because of limited personnel.

Feisal said riots happen because of lax discipline. "A high rate of crimes, road accidents, abuses and corruption are the consequence of the weakening societal discipline."

Megawati

PDI chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri in her address said that the building of national awareness is the task of all social groups.

This task is becoming more urgent because there are signs that nationalism is on the decline, she said.

The meeting was held to endorse the party's new constitution following its congress in December which put Megawati, the daughter of former president Sukarno, at the helm.

Mega said PDI would remain loyal to the state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

"For PDI, Pancasila is its soul and spirit, while the unity of the country is its life," she said, adding that Pancasila is stated in the PDI constitution as the sole principle and foundation of the party. (prs)