Soerjadi calls for revision of military's political role
Soerjadi calls for revision of military's political role
MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): The government-recognized
chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Soerjadi, called
for the military yesterday to review its political role.
Soerjadi said Dwifungsi, or the military's dual function, was
widely seen as letting the Armed Forces favor Golkar, which has
been in power since 1971.
He said the Armed Forces sociopolitical role was secured by
its members' presence in the House of Representatives and the
People's Consultative Assembly without having to contest general
elections.
"One of our four political stands is to support the military's
dual roles, but we cannot understand why the Armed Forces joins
Golkar's big family," Soerjadi told about 200 youths and students
at a PDI discussion here.
He was answering a question by a youth who complained of
intimidation to vote Golkar because of his membership to the
Communication Forum of Indonesian Veterans' Children.
Soerjadi said that intimidation of the organization's members
would not have happened if the Armed Forces got its hands off
Golkar.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono had announced that every
Armed Forces member was a Golkar cadre, Soerjadi said.
Research by the National Institute of Sciences revealed in
February that the military's civil defense role had to be reduced
to encourage democracy.
Golkar, an unheralded functional group in the early years
after its establishment in October 1964, has grown into the
ruling political organization, thanks to the patronage of the
Armed Forces and the bureaucracy.
All six million civil servants have pledged allegiance to
Golkar. One and a half million of them are bureaucrats.
Later in the afternoon, Soerjadi addressed more than 2,000
people at Nermada field, about 10 kilometers east of the city's
center. He was surrounded by light security unlike at his
overnight rally in Jember, East Java.
But rally organizers here disappointed hundreds of PDI
supporters who arrived at the venue a few minutes after Soerjadi
had left the rally.
PDI provincial branch chief I Made Suka said Soerjadi's
schedule had been changed for security reasons.
In Ujungpandang, supporters of the party's dethroned leader
Megawati Soekarnoputri announced yesterday their plan to stage a
rally on May 12 to protest the government's recognition of the
Soerjadi-led PDI faction.
The local PDI chapter's deputy chairman Yacobus Kamerlauw said
the thousands of people were expected to demonstrate in the
town's main roads.
"During the rally, we will inform the public that the
Soerjadi-led PDI faction is illegal and Megawati is the party's
only legitimate leader," Kamerlauw said.
Kamerlauw's government-recognized PDI counterpart, Kamaruddin,
said he was not afraid of the street rally provided Megawati
loyalists did not instigate clashes.
"It's entirely up to them whether they go ahead with their
plan. We will ask security authorities to stop any third parties
exploiting them," Kamaruddin said.
He said he would welcome Megawati supporters to join rallies
held by his faction led by Soerjadi.
Megawati has ordered her supporters to refrain from
campaigning, but many have ignored this directive. Groups of
people calling themselves Megawati supporters have been involved
in clashes and disruptions, but Megawati has said they are not
her supporters. (30/amd)