TNI chiefs say no to dissolving DPR

TNI chiefs say no to dissolving DPR

JAKARTA (JP): In another signal of the souring relations
between Abdurrahman Wahid and the military, Navy Chief of Staff
Adm. Indroko Sastrowiryono joined his Army counterpart on
Thursday in warning the President not to dissolve the House of
Representatives.

Indroko said he had advised the President to refrain from
taking a step that "will only bring adversity to the people".

"We asked the President to consider it wisely before taking a
decision, to avoid unexpected consequences. If the President
insists on issuing the decree, this country will have to pay
dearly," Indroko said after a ceremony marking the opening of a
joint exercise between the Indonesian and U.S. navies.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto twice within a
week voiced his opposition to Abdurrahman's suggestion that he
would issue a decree dissolving the House, which handed the
President a second censure earlier this month for two financial
scandals.

Endriartono said such a move would only worsen the already
poor relationship between the President and the House, aside from
killing democracy and creating chaos.

Indroko, Endriartono and Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshall
Hanafie Asnan had a breakfast meeting on May 5 with the
President, who reportedly told the three of his plan to issue a
decree dissolving the House. Abdurrahman has denied the reports,
despite Endriartono's statements.

Gus Dur, as the embattled President is known, sent the House
another strong message on Wednesday, warning it not to violate
the Constitution when carrying out its duties.

Cracks in the relationship between Abdurrahman and the
military first became visible when the Indonesian
Military/National Police faction in the House voted to censure
the President on Feb. 1. The faction abstained in the following
censure motion, which resulted in a second memorandum of censure
being issued against Abdurrahman on April 30.

When asked whether the Indonesian Navy would have to obey the
President, in his capacity as the supreme commander of the
Indonesian Military (TNI), if he issued a decree dissolving the
House, Indroko said: "We will leave the matter to our superior,
the TNI chief. We are not pledging allegiance to an individual,
but to a system."

Indroko admitted that the TNI was placed in a difficult
position in the protracted dispute between the President and the
House, since "the two feel they are carrying out their political
roles in a proper manner".

Indroko also said he was opposed to the replacement of any
military leaders for political purposes.

"Any change of guard in the TNI or the armed forces must be
carried out for the sake of organizational and professional
interests. If replacements were sparked by political purposes, I
think it would be incorrect," he said.

Indroko was commenting on reports that Gus Dur wished to
replace senior military officers critical of him.

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard, who attended
Thursday's ceremony, hailed the TNI for its "very positive role
in supporting the democratic process in Indonesia".

"No one ever said that creating a democracy is easy, and these
will be difficult years for Indonesia. But as I see, the
Indonesian Military has a strong commitment to develop it
(democracy) by giving more authority to the civilian leaders.

"Over the whole political turmoil which has been taking place
in recent months, there are such calls for the TNI to take a more
prominent role in unfolding political events, but the Indonesian
Military has firmly supported the Constitution," Gelbard said.

Speaking in Bandung, Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kiki
Syahnakri reaffirmed the armed force's stance vis-a-vis the
President over the reported plan to dissolve the House.

"If the decree is issued, the House will predictably resist
and a special session of People's Consultative Assembly will be
expedited. We are more concerned with the result of the conflict,
as political party supporters will clash and more people will
fall victim," Kiki said.

Taking a contradictory stance was a former chief of the Army
Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), Lt. Gen. Agus
Wirahadikusumah, who criticized the TNI for having become trapped
in the political power struggle.

"I see that political developments have been unfolding
unfairly. If an administration fails to function due to a dispute
between the political elite, as is happening now, any
constitution will allow the government to issue a decree to
dissolve the House.

"By opposing the President's wish (to issue the decree), the
TNI has become involved in the maneuvers to topple him," Agus
told The Jakarta Post.

Agus' statement came following an overnight meeting with
Endriartono, in which he openly criticized the Army chief of
staff for his failure to consider the President's position.
(02/25)