Political maneuvers communist: Feisal

Political maneuvers communist: Feisal

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung
has likened ongoing political maneuvers by various interest
groups to those made by the Indonesian Communist Party in the
1960s.

Feisal asked ABRI members yesterday to remain loyal to his
command so as not to be easily influenced by the maneuvers in the
lead-up to the 1997 general election.

"Their moves include tricks to discredit the New Order
administration under President Soeharto," he told 415 senior
officers gathered in the East Java town of Malang.

Feisal said political activists have taken to the streets,
splashing banners with messages critical of the government
written in "dirty and unethical" words.

"What they did was exactly the same as what Indonesian
Communist Party activists did in 1965," he said as quoted by the
official Antara news agency.

The general did not name any group in his speech.

On July 8 and 9, the East Java capital city of Surabaya was
rocked by major labor strikes involving thousands of workers from
10 factories. The military forcibly dispersed the crowd and three
students have been detained on suspicion of masterminding the
protests.

Major cities have also witnessed waves of street protests
against last month's military-backed Indonesian Democratic Party
congress which ousted the democratically elected party leader
Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Earlier this month a number of influential figures in Jakarta
issued a so called "July 1 Statement" expressing their concern
over what they saw as suppression of democracy and rising
political violence.

Under their dual function doctrine (Dwifungsi), the Armed
Forces plays a dominant role in the Indonesian political scene.

On Wednesday, Feisal said in Jakarta that the Armed Forces
remain "very solid" despite efforts to undermine its unity in the
run-up to the forthcoming election.

"ABRI members have always been solid despite the political
maneuvers by various interest groups," he said when meeting with
airborne operation command troopers.

Feisal reminded the 421 officers from the Armed Forces eastern
command in Malang yesterday that the highest command is himself.

Uniformity of command will ensure effective control of the
Armed Forces, he said. (pan)