Permadi plans call on military chief

Permadi plans call on military chief

JAKARTA (JP): Psychic Permadi plans a preemptive call on the
Central Java military chief to explain his prediction, on audio
cassettes, on this year's political upheaval. The cassettes have
been mass recorded and sold in the province.

Permadi, who chairs the Association of Indonesian Psychics,
said he had an inkling that the military chief would summon him
to his headquarters and demand an explanation on the cassettes
which have caused a commotion in Central Java's capital,
Semarang.

"I don't know when I'll make the visit, but I hope to go
before they summon me. So far, they have not called and read me
the riot act," Permadi told The Jakarta Post by phone.

Central Java military chief Lt. Gen. Soeyono, who was recently
installed as the Armed Force's new Chief of General Affairs, told
the media on Tuesday that he had received reports about
cassettes with messages "dangerous to social order and security"
as they contained "propaganda and agitation".

The cassette, Soeyono said, contained a recording of an
interview in which the psychic predicted the change of leadership
in the country, the role of the military in the country and other
major events which might take place this year.

In his recorded interview, Permadi predicted, among other
things, that Megawati Soekarnoputri, the eldest daughter of the
late president Sukarno now leading the Indonesian Democratic
Party, could become the next president.

"I think Pak Soeyono... is acting unwisely. His announcement
about the cassettes will simply make people more curious and they
will want them even more. It is not a very tactical move," he
said.

Permadi said Soeyono should have instead quietly called and
questioned him.

He explained that the interview was made with a private radio
station in Yogyakarta about a year ago and was broadcasted for a
whole month.

"If its true that (Soeyono) has only learnt about it now...I
really pity our poor intelligence system," he said.

Permadi insisted that his predictions did not cause social
unrest because they were his way of expressing his opinions.

"People like my cassette... because it is a reflection of
their own conscience," he said.

Permadi claimed he knew nothing of the recordings, which were
made by the radio station, or the copies -- which could be made
by anyone. Each cassette is sold at Rp 10,000 (US$5). (pwn)