Syarwan defends ABRI's civic role

Syarwan defends ABRI's civic role

BANDUNG (JP): A senior Army general believes that the Armed
Forces (ABRI), as one of Indonesia's social and political forces,
neither dominates nor determines the domestic political agenda.

ABRI's chief of sociopolitical affairs, Lt. Gen. Syarwan
Hamid, said, when closing a course on politics at the ABRI School
for Staff and Command yesterday, that the ABRI's role in social
and political affairs is an established fact.

It is irrelevant to question it, Syarwan said. "This role in
permanent and belongs to all generations of ABRI," he said.
However, "in reality, it is also influenced by time and space.

"This is why the function of ABRI in social and political
affairs has to be adjusted from time to time," he said.

"The dynamics of politics here becomes an important factor in
how the world shapes its opinion of Indonesia."

Syarwan was explaining the "dual function" concept of the
military, which means that it has a role in both defense and
social-political affairs.

He pointed out that today, nothing stands by itself. "One
problem can originate from a number of aspects in life, while one
aspect can give birth to numerous problems," he said.

Syarwan, who represented ABRI Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung at
the ceremony, also spoke of the 1997 general election, and the
importance of preventing an overheated social and political
situation.

"One thing that is no less important is keeping vigilant
against the possible emergence of people who merely make noises
about politics and don't lean toward any of the three political
organizations," he said.

Syarwan was referring to a group of people who waive their
voting rights in the election by not choosing any of the
contestants: Golkar, the United Development Party, or the
Indonesian Democratic Party.

These people, calling themselves Golongan Putih (literally
"the white group"), are very likely to have a negative impact on
the general election, he said.(17/rms)