President supports Agus in argument with Wiranto

President supports Agus in argument with Wiranto

YOGYAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday threw
his support behind Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, who is facing
disciplinary measures for openly criticizing former Indonesian
Military (TNI) chief Gen. Wiranto.

Speaking during a dialog with local leaders, the President
said he did not think that the chief of the Wirabuana Military
Command overseeing Sulawesi should be punished for his remarks.

"If Pak Agus has had to talk to the press on such matters, it
means that the communication within TNI is not flowing smoothly,
or at the very least, there is a problem there," he said.

The President stressed that he did not mean to interfere in
TNI's internal affairs. "I am not defending Agus. I don't even
know much about him."

Gen. Wiranto was suspended from his powerful post as
coordinating minister for political affairs and security last
week to allow a government investigation into his alleged role in
the East Timor violence in September.

While accepting the President's decision graciously, Wiranto
took particular offense at Maj. Gen. Agus' remarks that called
for his resignation from the government. Agus also said that
Wiranto should join the opposition Golkar party.

Wiranto, who remains in active military service, considered
the remarks an insubordination and demanded that the military
leadership discipline Agus.

Agus was summoned to Jakarta on Thursday by Army Chief of
Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, but Army spokesman Brig. Gen. I Dewa
Putu Rai stressed that he was simply asked to clarify himself.

Agus, according to Putu Rai, said during the meeting that his
statements had been distorted by the media.

Putu Rai declined to say whether Agus would be punished at
this stage.

But he said the Army was committed to upholding the command
line and unity, without closing chances for members to express
their opinions.

"In military tradition, there are methods and codes for
soldiers to deliver their opinions on any matter, including about
our seniors," Putu Rai told The Jakarta Post.

The row between the two generals goes back to the time when
Wiranto was still TNI chief.

Last year, Agus led a number of young military generals in
denouncing TNI's political role of the past 30 years and calling
on the leadership to remove the military from politics
altogether. He was subsequently moved out of Jakarta, away from
the center of pwer, to his current post in Makassar.

TNI Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Suaidy Marasabessy said
on Thursday that the TNI leadership would undergo another major
shakeup, but Agus' name was not included among those rumored for
new tours of duty.

Suaidy confirmed that TNI Chief Admiral Widodo had ordered
Gen. Tyasno to take disciplinary measure against Agus for asking
Wiranto to step down from the Cabinet.

Five-star Gen. (ret) A.H. Nasution, the military's oldest
living general, criticized Agus for making public what was
essentially an internal Army row.

"Differences must be settled inside TNI," Nasution said.

Gen. Edi Sudradjat, a former military chief, praised Agus for
his critical views on the military leadership, but regretted the
way he voiced his opinion because it could confuse the people.

"You have to know where and how to express your views,"
Sudradjat said. (swa/prb/emf)