Star-studded generals fill State Palace

Star-studded generals fill State Palace

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto hosted a reception yesterday
at the State Palace for some 200 active and retired three- and
four-star generals.

The country's most prominent generals were present, decked out
in their military uniforms and accompanied by their spouses. Only
selected two-star active generals were invited to the function.

"This is an expression of our gratitude to God because Pak
Harto together with Pak Nasution and the late Pak Soedirman have
just received their honorary five-star general ranks," palace
officials said yesterday.

Soeharto, 76, retired from active military service as a four-
star general in 1976. Nasution was the country's most senior
soldier and Soedirman was the Armed Forces (ABRI)'s founding
father.

The reception was held after the commemoration of the Armed
Forces' 52nd anniversary earlier in the morning.

Gen. A.H. Nasution, 78, apparently costarred at the reception,
standing to President Soeharto's right and greeting the guests
entering the function room.

They were also accompanied by Vice President Try Sutrisno and
his wife, ABRI Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung and his wife.

"You still look young," Nasution said in Dutch when former
ABRI commander Gen. L.B. Moerdani congratulated him. Moerdani,
more popularly known as Benny, smiled.

Nasution has not always had a smooth relationship with the
government, he was once barred from overseas travel although
there was no official explanation for this.

"Only after the 1990s could I touch on fundamental issues in
my interviews with the press, which I rarely raised in previous
years, because I was blacklisted for 21 years ... during the
time ... only negative rumors about me were spreading in
society," Kompas daily quoted Nasution as saying on Saturday.

Among the generals present yesterday were former vice
presidents Gen. (ret) Umar Wirahadikusumah and Lt. Gen. (ret)
Sudharmono.

Rudini, former minister of home affairs as well as former Army
chief of staff, wore a civilian suit. Minister of National
Development Planning Vice Marshall Ginandjar Kartasasmita,
Minister/State Secretary Lt.Gen. (ret) Moerdiono, and
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Lt. Gen. (ret) Azwar
Anas all looked handsome in their uniforms.

Government critics, who are part of Group of 50, like Lt. Gen.
(ret) Ali Sadikin and Gen. (Pol) Hoegeng were not present at the
reception.

When Nasution greeted the newly installed Jakarta Military
Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, he said: "Oh, this is
our commandant in Jakarta."

There was a touching moment when Lt. Gen. (ret) Soegiarto, who
is half paralyzed and must be escorted after suffering from
strokes, approached Nasution.

"My name is Lieutenant Sugiarto, sir," he said, introducing
himself to Nasution. Nasution then told him he wished Sugiarto
would recover soon.

"I've known you since you were still a little girl," he said
to Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Indra Rukmana,
affectionately known as Tutut.

Commander of the Army's special force (Kopassus) Chief Maj.
Gen. Prabowo Subianto, Soeharto's second son-in-law, gave
Nasution a military salute and then kissed his hand.

Soeharto then cut a yellow rice cone, known as tumpeng, and
gave it to the Soedirman's son, Taufik Soedirman.

While enjoying a lunch of stir-fried vegetables, meatloaf,
chicken and kakap fish, singers Titik Puspa, Henny Purwonegoro
and Dewi Yull entertained the generals with keroncong songs.
(prb)