PEPABRI comments

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