Place the national interest first

The stance which the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) will be taking in the upcoming general elections is now known. Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto made it clear during a meeting with House of Representatives Commission I on Thursday that ABRI would be neutral and that an instruction to that effect would be circulated among its personnel from the top to the bottom of its ranks. Sanctions will be taken against anyone violating this instruction. A similar statement was made earlier by Home Minister Syarwan Hamid, who said that firm action would be taken against any civil servants who violated the principle of bureaucratic neutrality.

We welcome these positive statements from both the Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander and the Minister of Home Affairs. Although they will still have to prove their stance, their statements at least indicate their good judgment in addressing recent developments in society. Gen. Wiranto's resolve also serves to strengthen the government's hand and the ball is now in the court of our legislators.

It seems that winds of change notwithstanding, the ruling Golkar grouping continues to live in the grip of the New Order syndrome, particularly through its insistence on continuing to use the bureaucracy as part of its political machinery. However, the possibility should not be discounted that such a stance may in the long run prove injurious to Golkar -- more so since a growing number of people view the June 7 general election as a starting point for the Indonesian nation to build a clean, open and democratic civil society.

In this context, one could say that putting the national interest above anything else would not mean defeat for Golkar. On the contrary, people would see it as a noble sacrifice made for the sake of the nation's future well-being.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta