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)