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)