Mahfud slams TNI and police for disloyalty
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D. criticized the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police on Wednesday for resisting the policy of their superior President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, a move which he considered an offense of law.
"Both the TNI and the National Police must be loyal to the President and not to the House of Representatives or the People's Consultative Assembly," he told a hearing with the House's Commission I for defense, security and foreign affairs.
Mahfud said the violation of the 1997 Military Tribunal Law, which remains in effect, was evident in the military's opposition to the President's plan to issue a decree on a state of civil emergency and National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro's resistance to his suspension.
The police were incorporated into the military until they were split in 1999. The president is the military's supreme commander according to the 1945 Constitution.
"The military should have executed the President's order to declare a state of civil emergency and Bimantoro should have accepted his suspension, regardless of whether it was right or wrong," he said.
Citing chapter 103 of the military law, Mahfud said that disobedience carries a jail sentence of two years and four months.
TNI Chief Adm. Widodo A.S. said before the same commission on Tuesday that the military disagreed with the President over the controversial decree because it was not the only solution to the multidimensional crisis facing the nation.
Asked about his loyalty to the President, Mahfud said that as a member of the Cabinet he would continue to assist the President in running the government and support his policy as long as it was in accordance with the law.
The minister, who is a civilian, however said his loyalty to the President was limited to affairs in his portfolio and other fields that were permitted by law.
Politics
He conceded that he has been involved in politics to counter negative opinion aimed at discrediting the government and the President.
"I was trapped into involvement in politics when I revealed to the media last February that the Golkar Party was involved in a Rp 90 billion scandal in the National Logistics Agency. I did this to counter media reports of the President's alleged involvement in Buloggate and Bruneigate," he said, referring to Rp 35 billion misuse of funds belonging to National Logistics Agency (Bulog) employees and US$2 million humanitarian assistance given as a personal donation from the sultan of Brunei.
Mahfud said further that he had been divided on many issues with the President, including Gus Dur's plan to declare a state of civil emergency that would enable him to dissolve the House.
"I told the President frankly that I would resign if the decree was issued last month and I brought this matter to a meeting with all directors generals in the defense ministry," he said.
Asked about his participation in the President's lobbying team, Mahfud said he decided to accept the job to help settle the conflict between Gus Dur and the House.
"I've spoken too much about the team's lobbying with parties because journalists come to me to seek further information," he said.
He acknowledged that he had to spare some of his working hours as a minister for the team upon consulting some of his staff.
He said he had approached Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP) leaders to seek a possible political compromise in the special session while the team's other members were lobbying other parties.
He said he decided not to lobby Golkar legislators from the eastern part of Indonesia (Iramasuka) following talks with the party's executive board.(rms)