Outspoken retired generals finding fresh support
JAKARTA (JP): More people are coming out in support of a group of outspoken retired generals whom the government has labeled "inconsistent" toward the state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.
A retired general said in a discussion held by the Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information (ISAI) that the generals were in fact displaying their loyalty when they criticized or suggested changes to government policies.
Soebijakto Prawirasoebrata, a former head of the National Defense Institute, said the critical retired generals were not "dissidents". The generals had only been demanding the government introduce long overdue changes in economic and cultural development, he said.
"I knew those generals as 'clean persons' when they were still on active duty. It's just that they had to retire at a time when they were still striving to bring about changes," said Soebijakto, a retired major general who is now the executive director of the Institute for Strategic Studies of Indonesia.
The government had not showed enough concern for the need to change. "The New Order administration has failed to respond (to the demand for changes)," he said.
The retired generals, on the other hand, tried to provide suggestions as well as criticism, as a way of displaying their loyalty, Soebijakto said.
Political observer Arbi Sanit and legal expert Mulyana W. Kusumah also came to the defense of the retired generals. They agreed, separately, that it was logical that military figures became critical of the government once they retired.
"It's almost impossible for people to freely express ideas about the government while holding positions in the bureaucracy," Arbi said. Mulyana agreed.
"What we should ponder instead is their 'moral consistency'. People are bound to compare the way officials behaved on active duty with how they behave in retirement," Mulyana told The Jakarta Post.
"Simply put, people may ask whether they were as critical during active service? If they were not, people might prefer to ignore their sudden outspokenness," he said.
"Besides, in our unique bureaucracy, government officials would be considered deviant if they openly criticize (the government)," Mulyana added.
Last month, Tantyo Sudharmono of MKGR, an organization affiliated with the ruling Golkar party, conveyed to the public President Soeharto's displeasure at criticism from his former aides. The President had called criticism from retired officials "inconsistent" with the spirit of the state ideology, Pancasila, and the 1945 Constitution, Tantyo said.
Many believe the President was referring to retired generals, although no names were mentioned.
The current situation has forced military officials to voice their criticism only after they were retired, said Arbi.
"When they are no longer active, they are free from all ethical, structural and cultural ties of the military, and can voice their criticism," Arbi said.
Arbi believed the generals' criticism would be good for the current political system which places undue power on the executive branch of government, and renders the legislative and judicial branches ineffective.
Also yesterday, Yahya Muhaimin of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, told the Post that criticisms will always be needed to prevent the nation from stagnation.
"Criticism is good as long as it's delivered in a courteous manner and in context of existing national political ethics. What counts more is the way of putting forward the criticism," he said. (05/26)