PEPABRI comments

On Sept. 14 the Jakarta Post reported ABRI ends obligation to pick Golkar in polls, the contents of which could lead to various interpretations in the community mainly in Armed Forces (ABRI) circles.

In the interests of promoting democracy in the national press the DPP PEPABRI (the central board of the association of retired personnel and widows of the Indonesian Armed Forces) deems it necessary to give the following explanation:

1. The coordination meeting of PEPABRI has never stated or concluded as reflected in the title of the report. Neither has it acted on behalf of the ABRI institution.

2. The PEPABRI is part of the ABRI big family (KBA), which includes civil servants working in the ABRI institutions and Ministry of Defense and Security. Therefore it cannot act on behalf of or be made identical to the KBA.

3. ABRI has given birth to the functional group Golkar. It is a historical fact. Cooperation between PEPABRI and Golkar has always been based in this historical context. Therefore it cannot be ignored in the history of Golkar.

The channeling of the political aspirations of the members of PEPABRI are that the citizens' political rights are always respected by PEPABRI. It needs to be explained that the PEPABRI is a social organization and has no structural links with any sociopolitical organization, so that its members' political aspirations belong to the members and they have always been based on the principles: similarity in the struggle, belief, hope, conscience and citizens' political rights.

So far the members' rights directed to Golkar are believed to meet the principles. The phrase: "It's not the era of giving orders (regarding voting) anymore. It's now the era of reform" expressed by former vice president Try Sutrisno and this applies to all sides and is based on the policies of the organization as described above.

4. This explanation relating to the report ABRI ends obligation to pick Golkar in polls will hopefully serve to correct any mistaken conclusions, so as to avoid a misinterpretation of the clarification given by Bapak Try Sutrisno to the press.

HARI SUGIMAN

PEPABRI

Jakarta