Prabowo on list of rising stars shot down in their prime

By Lela E. Madjiah

This is the second of two articles exploring the history of Indonesia's fallen officers.

JAKARTA (JP): During the Soeharto era, many fine military officers were removed from their positions for opposing Soeharto's policies.

The men who first helped Soeharto rise to power and were dubbed the three kingmakers by Michael R.J. Vatikiotis in his book Indonesian Politics Under Suharto -- Lt. Gen. Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, the Special Forces officer who commanded the military operations which secured the capital in September and October 1965, Maj. Gen. H.R. Dharsono, a former Siliwangi military commander who helped crush the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) rebellion, and Maj. Gen. Kemal Idris, who commanded the Special Forces in 1965 -- later became ardent opponents of Soeharto and were eased out of the military.

The most dramatic fate of the three kingmakers befell H.R. Dharsono, who was jailed in 1985 after being found guilty of attempting to undermine the government and inciting unrest by helping to draft a white paper on the Sept. 12, 1984, Tanjung Priok riot. Dharsono, who died in June 1996, was recently rehabilitated by President B.J. Habibie, a gesture that opened new insight into the heart of the matter: He was a victim of another of Soeharto's schemes.

Gen. Soemitro had to resign from his post as commander of the Operational Command for the Restoration of Security and Order (Kopkamtib) following the 1974 Malari affair, which Soemitro claimed was orchestrated by his rival Gen. Ali Murtopo, a close confidant of Soeharto.

Nasution, a survivor during the Sukarno administration, was also edged to the sidelines before he was finally blacklisted, along with other senior officers like Marine Lt. Gen. Ali Sadikin, a former Jakarta governor, for signing the famous 1980 Petisi 50 (Petition of 50). The petition questioned a Soeharto speech, which the 50 signatories charged was Soeharto's effort to use the Pancasila state ideology as his personal shield and to force ABRI to take his side rather than to stand above all.

Gen. M. Yusuf, the ABRI chief from 1978 to 1983, a popular and well-loved general and considered to be the perfect candidate for the next president of Indonesia, simply disappeared from the scene following his term in the military leadership. He was appointed by Soeharto to head the largely ceremonial Supreme Advisory Council in an apparent attempt to eliminate one potential rival for the presidency.

One of the most painful losses occurred after the Nov. 12, 1991, "Dili incident", when Indonesian troops fired on a crowd of 3,500 mourners in the capital of East Timor. ABRI had to "sacrifice" Maj. Gen. Sintong Pandjaitan, commander of the Udayana Regional Military Command, who was held responsible for the tragedy. Along with Pandjaitan, ABRI also removed Brig. Gen. R.W. Warouw, field commander in East Timor. Both were recalled to the Army Headquarters.

Many believed Pandjaitan's dismissal was a setup to remove him from competition for the highest position in the Army. Pandjaitan, a fine soldier and a former commander of the Special Forces, was considered to be the best candidate for the job. However, Gen. Wismoyo Arismunandar, Soeharto's brother-in-law, also had his eyes on the position. Wismoyo eventually got the job, although Pandjaitan was promoted to Honorary Lieutenant General on April 4 this year, a move many interpreted as Soeharto's way of rehabilitating his name.

The list of officers forced to leave their military career before their due time is actually longer -- some were simply victims of a power struggle or were caught in an unfortunate political situation that was not all their making. This is where the difference lies between them and Prabowo.

From a prominent family with a controversial background -- his father, economic guru and former Cabinet minister under Soeharto Soemitro Djojohadikusumo had joined the PRRI rebellion and later went into exile -- Prabowo caused a lot of resentment among his peers. His marriage to Soeharto's second daughter, Siti Hediyati, served his military career well. Although he was considered highly intelligent and an able soldier, many attributed his fast rise up the military ladder to his connection with the first family.

Prabowo is as controversial as his father. "Depending on whom you ask, General Prabowo is either the fall guy for misdeeds committed by the Suharto government and the military, or he is a power-hungry fanatic who misjudged the forces he might have been up against if he chose to take on his father-in-law ... " Cindy Shiner wrote in her article, The Enigma of Suharto's Son-in-law in the Washington Post Service.

Most people in the military would describe Prabowo as ambitious; he never bothered to hide his dream of becoming president. A hot-tempered character, Prabowo would not hesitate to tread in places otherwise considered taboo by his peers, as long as it served his purpose. Nothing, some would say, was off- limits to Prabowo. The last straw was his confession to charges of complicity in the kidnapping of political activists. In the eyes of many, Prabowo had become nothing more than a rogue general.

It is small wonder the general reaction was mixed when Gen. Wiranto announced his decision to discharge Prabowo from the military. Members of the military are aware that the case should end with Prabowo otherwise there is every possibility that more men in uniform will be dragged down, something ABRI cannot afford at this stage. In the words of Marzuki Darusman, deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, it is only fair to say Prabowo was not the only one involved.

"I think there's more to it than just Prabowo," said Darusman. "I'd say he's a keeper of secrets, and he might be predisposed to reveal a few if forced to."

People reacted differently. Prabowo's dismissal was far from satisfactory. They want him tried and for justice to be served. As it is, ABRI is suffering from a credibility crisis and is struggling to win back the people's trust in order to regain its prominent role in the running of the country. "The military is under pressure to investigate its alleged abuses, and blaming someone so closely identified with Mr. Suharto as General Prabowo helps make it seem that a break has been made with the past," wrote Shiner.

Only Prabowo's trial and the unmasking of what really happened will return public trust in the military institution. In the meantime, Indonesians may ask, "When will the military ever learn not to repeat the same mistake?"