No coup d'etat planned by ABRI, says Agum

No coup d'etat planned by ABRI, says Agum

JAKARTA (JP): Governor of the National Resilience Institute
Lt. Gen. Agum Gumelar said on Thursday that the Armed Forces
(ABRI) would never consider launching a coup d'etat.

This, he said, was because of its support for democracy based
on the principles of Pancasila, adding that the Armed Forces was
responsible for ensuring that the government did not abuse its
authority.

"ABRI's loyalty to the nation will never change," Antara
reported Agum as saying in a paper read out at a seminar on
democracy at UPN Veteran University in Yogyakarta.

The paper was read out by Brig. Gen. Sofyan Yacob, who is a
lecturer at the institute. "This (loyalty) is ensured through
commitment to our responsibility to safeguard and participate in
the drive for democracy and social justice," Agum said.

He went on to argue that history showed that ABRI "had worked
hard to lay the foundations of development" in all fields of the
nation's life.

Agum pointed out that the Armed Forces' achievements and
shortcomings could not be separated from the politics of the
past, but stressed that the military was not used to legitimize
the New Order regime.

The general said that current threats to national unity should
be dealt with wisely. "ABRI is committed to helping the nation
overcome the economic crisis in line with efforts to carry out
reform programs," he noted.

Meanwhile, the government said on Thursday that the country
would not develop its own military hardware, but would instead
work to cut costs associated with operating existing military
equipment, including aircraft.

"For instance we need to think about spare parts problems and
the standardization of military aircraft," State Minister of
Technology Zuhal said after a meeting of the National Council for
Aviation and Aeronautics at the Merdeka Palace. The meeting was
chaired by President B.J. Habibie. (prb)