PPP criticizes ABRI coordination meeting with Golkar

PPP criticizes ABRI coordination meeting with Golkar

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) questioned
the Armed Forces' (ABRI)'s commitment to reform yesterday after
it allegedly hosted a coordination meeting with the dominant
political group Golkar on Saturday, Antara reported.

"That meeting is diametrical to ABRIs own concept of reform
which says that it stands above all the political parties," PPP
Secretary General Tosari Wijaya said.

The PPP's Executive Board regretted and strongly objected to
the meeting held at ABRI's Cilangkap headquarters in East
Jakarta, he told the media after the party's national conference.

ABRI has failed to maintain its self-proclaimed equal distance
from all the political parties in the country, he said.

No one from the Armed Forces was available yesterday to
confirm that the alleged meeting took place, or to respond to the
PPPs criticism.

ABRI, along with the country's bureaucracy, have always been
regarded as members of Golkar's Big Family. Senior military
figures frequently used to take part in important Golkar policy
meetings.

Since Soeharto's resignation from the presidency last month,
ABRI leaders have maintained that the Armed Forces would no
longer support Golkar in future general elections.

Tosari, reading from the PPPs political manifesto, also
demanded that the National Police be separated from ABRI and
called for the replacement of the term "Armed Forces of the
Republic Indonesia" (ABRI) with "War Forces of the Republic of
Indonesia" (APRI).

Tosari said Article 10 of the 1945 Constitution stated that
the war forces comprised the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

As a consequence, the National Police should not be regarded
as part of the war forces, but as a law enforcement agency with a
duty to ensure public security and order, he said.

The PPP also demanded that the government lift the Military
Operation Region status from Aceh and Irian Jaya, alleging that
the classification had led to abuses of power and human rights
violations.

The national conference discussed how PPP should proceed in
view of the changing political situation since B.J. Habibie
succeeded Soeharto as the country's leader last month.

The new President has promised to revamp the political laws
which regulate political parties and elections, and has stated
his intention to hold a general election around May 1999.

In view of the upcoming election, PPP plans to bring forward
its congress to elect new leaders to December this year at the
latest, party sources said yesterday.

PPP's political statement also called on the government to
free civil servants from the burden of having to support and vote
for Golkar, saying that this requirement ran counter to efforts
to create a more professional bureaucracy.

PPP also joined the chorus demanding that controversial cases
from the past be reopened and parties suspected of having a part
in these atrocities brought to court.

It cited the massacre in Jakarta's Tanjung Priok district in
1984 and similar incidents which took place in Lampung and Aceh
in the past decade. In each of these incidents civilians were
killed in clashes with the Armed Forces.

The government considers these cases closed although no
military officers have ever been made to answer for the incidents
before a court of law.

PPP called for the release of political prisoners who were the
victims of slanderous plots. It cited in particular those jailed
for their part in the Jihad Command and the Usroh Group, both
Islamic groups blamed for terrorist actions in the 1980s.

PPP is also asking the government to investigate who
masterminded the May 13-14 riots, the kidnapping of political
activists and various other violent acts and disappearances.
(emb)