Soeharto, Nasution, Soedirman get five stars
Soeharto, Nasution, Soedirman get five stars
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto, Gen. (ret) A.H. Nasution and
the late Gen. Soedirman were granted yesterday honorary five-star
general ranks.
An Armed Forces delegation, led by Armed Forces Commander Gen.
Feisal Tanjung, visited Soeharto and Nasution at their residences
to bestow the rank.
The five-star rank for Gen. Soedirman will be conferred
posthumously today at the newly completed Soedirman Hall in
Tebet, South Jakarta. A close family member is expected to attend
today's ceremony.
Feisal said the three prominent military figures were awarded
the illustrious rank for their monumental services to the
country.
Feisal and eight generals first went to Soeharto's residence
on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta, knocking on the door at 1 p.m.
Feisal said Soeharto deserved the honor because of his
meritorious and extraordinary service.
"He has succeeded in carrying out all the tasks and duties
with very excellent results," he said.
He then quoted Soeharto as saying: "I am very proud of this
honor, and I dedicate this to the nation and the state as an
expression of my love for my country.
Feisal expects Soeharto, 76, to put on his military uniform,
with the five stars on his shoulders, at Sunday's celebration of
the Armed Forces 52nd anniversary.
Soeharto will lead the ceremony, to be held at Halim Perdana
Kusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta.
Speaking to reporters after the visit, Armed Forces spokesman
Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan dismissed allegations that the
award was politically motivated.
"The award does not have any political motivation. The
initiative came from the bottom of our (ABRI members') hearts,"
Wahab said.
"It has nothing to do with the President's position as ABRI's
supreme commander, either," he added.
Born on June 8, 1921, Soeharto began his military career in
1941.
As a lieutenant colonel, he led a historical military
operation at the dawn of March 1, 1949, pushing out occupying
Dutch troops from Yogyakarta for several hours.
Soeharto also led the successful military operation to
liberate Irian from the Dutch in the 1960s.
His most acclaimed achievement was crushing the attempted coup
by the Indonesian Communist Party on Oct. 1, 1965.
Soeharto was appointed acting President on March 12, 1967, and
elected President the following year in a general meeting of the
Provisional People's Consultative Assembly.
He retired from active military service as a four-star general
on June 30, 1976.
After visiting Soeharto's residence, Feisal and his delegation
then proceeded to Nasution's residence.
Nasution said he was proud and touched by the honorary five-
star general rank.
"It shows us that they (ABRI members) never forget their aging
seniors," he said.
Nasution said he would attend the Armed Forces' anniversary on
Sunday donning the new rank.
Nasution's wife, Yohana, also expressed her joy at the award
given to her husband. "He'll look more dashing in his uniform
with five stars on,"
Later yesterday afternoon, State Minister of Research and
Technology B.J. Habibie dropped by Nasution's residence.
Reporters quickly jumped on Habibie asking him if his surprise
visit was politically motivated.
"I've been here several times. And I come here today to greet
Pak Nasution as a five-star general," he remarked.
Habibie said Indonesians, mainly Armed Forces members, must be
proud that they now have several five-star generals. (prb/imn)
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