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)