Thu, 13 Feb 1997

Opportunity never knocks twice: Agum

By Arifuddin Saeni

UJUNGPANDANG (JP): Wirabuana Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. Agum Gumelar believes opportunities do not crop up twice and that people must take advantage of situations the first time around.

Agum, who was posted to the South Sulawesi capital in August last year but whose jurisdiction covers the four provinces in the island, was referring to the government's plan to turn South Sulawesi into the gateway to eastern Indonesia and to accelerate development there.

"There are plenty of openings and opportunities available for us if we're willing to make use of them. It's up to the South Sulawesi people themselves," he told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.

"The government has pledged accelerated development in eastern Indonesia and South Sulawesi will become its gateway. We have to prepare our human and natural resources for that. A lost opportunity won't reoccur."

He believes the South Sulawesi people have yet to make full use of the opportunities presented to them by the government's development plan for the region. "The Ujungpandang community and the South Sulawesi population in general are not sufficiently supportive of the government's wish to make (the province) the gateway to eastern Indonesia.

"If an investor comes here to invest a large amount of capital and he does not receive support from the community, he will surely look to other regions.

"The mayor of Ujungpandang has no money. The governor has no money either. Let alone me as a regional military commander. We hope investors will come here with their money. But they need support. Otherwise they will look elsewhere."

Agum cited that the Lippo Group planned in 1995 to build a satellite city for Ujungpandang in Tanjung Bunga, Tanjung Merdeka sub-district. The investors had hardly set foot in the province when they were met with land acquisition problems which have yet to be resolved.

"A person appeared claiming to be the owner, so the investors paid him a sum of money. Others followed with similar claims and also got paid. Their number increased until the investors got tired," Agum explained. "We must create some order in this situation."

He suggested that an integrated team, involving the Armed Forces, non-governmental organizations and legal experts in land acquisition, be established to solve the problems besetting the Tanjung Bunga development project. "This is a megaproject that we must make a success of."

Another example of the community's poor support for development programs that Agum cited was the locals' reluctance to provide foreigners, including investors, with entertainment.

"Those foreigners usually like entertainment in the evening, such as going to nightclubs, for example," he said. The predominately Moslem South Sulawesi people consider such centers haram, or forbidden by Islam.

"Moslems don't have to go to the nightclubs," he said. "I'm a Moslem myself and consider nightclubs and the alcoholic beverages served in them haram. But I see them as a consequence of development. Have you ever seen (me) in a nightclub?"

Agum has plenty of other criticism for the province, including its garbage. Ujungpandang has received the Adipura Award for cleanliness, but Agum still believes the city of 1.4 million inhabitants manages its waste badly.

He is offering to help. "If necessary, my soldiers and I are ready to help. Every one of the men in the Navy, the Army, the Police Force, the Air Force. We have no other intention than to give a better image of Ujungpandang as the gateway to the eastern provinces of Indonesia," said the soccer-mad general.

In 1995, South Sulawesi's population stood at 7.7 million. Its 463,537 tons of exports, mainly coffee, cacao and ferronickel, were worth US$638 million.

In the 1992 general election, Golkar won 3,410,910 votes, the United Development Party won 293,697 votes and the Indonesian Democratic Party 92,053.

What about the Armed Forces' readiness to safeguard the May general election in South Sulawesi? "There is no doubt about it. We are ready to safeguard it," Agum said briefly.

Principles

Agum, said to be among the Armed Forces' finest officers, demands much from himself. He said he adhered to the principle that he had to do his best no matter where he was stationed.

He believes that one of the missions of a regional military commander is to help the community improve its welfare and prosper economically and socially. "I have a strong desire to participate in the development of the region where I am posted," he said.

It cannot be done by one person however, he said. It should be a combined effort of the community, the provincial government and the Armed Forces.

He knuckled down to his role in the task as soon as he assumed his command in August last year. One of the first things he did was to establish the nonprofit Wirabuana Foundation, which raises funds to educate the children of army personnel who have died.

Agum speaks Chinese and English well. He is married to Linda Amaliasari, a member of the House of Representatives, and has two children. Born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, in 1945, Agum graduated from the military academy in 1968 and was immediately posted to be platoon chief at the Siliwangi military command.

His military career took off during 22 years in the Army's special force from 1971 to 1993. Among the positions he held during his assignment in the red-beret force were deputy chief of Group Four (1985), deputy assistant and assistant dealing with intelligence (1986 to 1988) and special forces chief (1992 to 1993).

Agum acknowledged that development is a process that sometimes victimizes people and disregards their rights. "They are at times outside the system that we believe will improve people's welfare through development," he said. "We do not want development that sacrifices the people."

Agum is considered a strict man. He deals firmly with soldiers who are involved in crimes involving narcotics, gambling or smuggling.

He also repeatedly told his soldiers in the Wirabuana military command to help improve people's welfare. "We all should cooperate in developing this province," he said.