Instability too costly for Indonesia, Feisal says

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)