Release of political detainees exploited: ABRI
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) claim that communists are trying to use the release last August of well-known political detainees to make a comeback in the Indonesian political scene.
Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, assistant to ABRI chief of social and political affairs, said in Surabaya on Saturday that there are indications that communists have been very active since the detainees' release.
The communists have been twisting historical facts and trying to set one group against the other, he said after attending an anniversary celebration of the Airlangga University.
"People should not be fooled into believing in their propaganda, aimed at making the people and the government suspicious of one another," Syarwan said, as quoted by Antara.
In August, in connection with Indonesia's 50th anniversary celebrations, President Soeharto extended clemency to three prominent political detainees, Soebandrio, Raden Soegeng Soetarto and Omar Dhani, on humanitarian grounds.
Former deputy prime minister Soebandrio, former Air Force commander Omar Dhani and former police intelligence chief Soetarto were convicted in connection with the 1965 attempted coup, which was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
Senior ABRI leaders, including Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung, publicly supported President Soeharto's move, which was also hailed from various other groups in society.
On Saturday Syarwan reiterated ABRI's stand that the government has no intention of scaring people or being suspicious of them with its repeated warnings about the latent danger of communism and the "formless organizations" it says are campaigning to undermine the government.
"We want to remind the public that communists, with their peculiar tactics, are there among us," he said.
On Friday, chief of the Brawijaya East Java military command, Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, announced that the authorities in various areas in the province had confiscated objects which supported the government's warnings that communists are trying to make a comeback.
Drawing
In Mojokerto, Imam said, the authorities seized a hammer-and- sickle drawing from a student in March, while in Situbondo, they confiscated a kite bearing the communist symbol.
Provocative graffiti was also found on the walls of a junior high school in Malang in March. It read "The PKI is okay, son," "The PKI is okay, daughter" and "The PKI is okay, buddy," according to Utomo.
In the communists' most recent operation, on Oct. 10, Utomo said, a villager in Nganjuk painted the communist symbol on the roof of his house. He added that, earlier this month, the authorities seized leaflets designed to provoke anti-government sentiment in Blitar.
Syarwan, who is a former ABRI spokesman, said the government is well aware that the widening gap between rich and poor is the root cause of the various recent cases of violence in many parts of Indonesia.
He said the brutal rape of the Acan family and the tragic murder of Rohadi family in Jakarta as well as the rioting in quake-hit Jambi could be the work of people wanting to create negative image of Indonesia.
"It is difficult and needs time to overcome the problem of economic and social gaps. But I think we can begin with vigilance," he said.
He called on the public to use institutions like the legislative councils in their respective areas to make their complaints, rather than holding street demonstrations.
Demonstrations are example of activities which are easily used by irresponsible people for their personal ends, he added. (pan)