Retired servicemen vow to defend Constitution

Retired servicemen vow to defend Constitution

JAKARTA: Some 120 retired military and police officers formed a front on Friday to defend the 1945 Constitution and ensure that the current amendments did not deviate from its spirit.

The officers said that the ongoing process of amending the 1945 Constitution should not betray the Proclamation of Independence.

The front's establishment was attended by, among others, former vice president Try Sutrisno, former House deputy speaker Syaiful Sulun, former chief of the State Intelligence Coordinating Board (BAKIN) Sudibyo, former Air Force chief Sri Mulyono Herlambang, former Armed Forces general affairs chief Soeyono, a, and former chiefs of the Armed Forces' Intelligence Body (BIA), Samsir Siregar and Ari Sudewo.

According to Syaiful Sulun, the group believed that the ongoing amendment process had been conducted arbitrarily, and had been based on half-baked thinking.

The group charged that the proposed amendments were aimed at the creation of an Indonesian Republic based on liberalism, capitalism and individualism.

Syaiful said the group's members felt they had to marshall their forces because of their deep concerns over efforts to change the state ideology Pancasila and the structure of the unitary state of Indonesia.--Antara