TNI must be loyal to Pancasila

TNI must be loyal to Pancasila

From Suara Karya

Several local newspapers recently reported there was a "virus" in the Indonesian Military (TNI). This may be right, and I call the virus "radicalism". What if President Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, says TNI should not co-opt power, and it later turns out that a few high-ranking TNI officers did co-opt power for themselves. In a real example, not long ago when Bondan fell, Agus Wirahadikusumah also fell along with Saurip Kadi and his cronies.

In order for this country and its people to get out of its crisis, TNI must in my opinion fully support every effort to overcome the crisis. In order for TNI not to be co-opted by power and vice-versa, I do not think we still need these types of officers.

Referring to Saurip Kadi's latest book, I find it full of notes on TNI's past sins. I think, as it turns out, Mahfud, the minister of defense, who is a civilian, knows and understands TNI better than Saurip.

Mahfud has continued to say that should there be mistakes by TNI, they are collective ones. Do not think TNI is a God capable of resisting the President and his legitimate administration. Please understand this, because if TNI dares resist the President, they will be called rebels.

Members of the society, therefore, kindly ask all concerned parties to ensure that only TNI officers who love and follow Pancasila, the state ideology, fill strategic positions. Forget those radicals!

ARI WIBOWO

Jakarta