Top officers deny generals' meeting
Top officers deny generals' meeting
JAKARTA (JP): Top military officers brushed aside on Friday
President Abdurrahman Wahid's allegation that a group of generals
had held a covert meeting.
In a clear reference to the President, they also appealed to
all political elites not to make statements that could raise
controversy and confusion among the people.
Amid his continuing stand-off with influential Coordinating
Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen. Wiranto,
Abdurrahman said during his official visit in The Hague on
Thursday that a group of generals held a secret meeting that
involved "dirty hands" on Jl. Lautze III in Central Jakarta.
Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Admiral Widodo A.S. and Army
Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto said in separate occasions on
Friday that they knew nothing about the meeting.
"There is no such meeting held without TNI leaders'
knowledge," Widodo said in TNI Headquarters in East Jakarta's
suburb Cilangkap.
He said that it was common for generals to hold a meeting,
merely due to their positions as policy makers of the TNI.
Tyasno said so far he knew nothing about the report of the
meeting as alleged by Abdurrahman, and guaranteed that the Army
"as an institution" would not launch a coup.
"The Army remains solid and under one command. So far, the
command is under my control and we will be against a coup
attempt," he said in his visit to the Army's Battle Zeni
Headquarters in Central Jakarta.
But Tyasno described the situation in the absence of
Abdurrahman, who will not return home until Feb. 13, as
"dangerous," and called on the public to remain calm.
"The current situation is dangerous and uncertain, therefore,
I'm calling on public to think clearly and not to be easily
provoked by unfounded rumors."
Lt. Gen. Hari Sabarno, deputy chairman of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) said the president should not be
worried about a meeting of generals, which is common according to
him.
"Such a meeting is often held, but I don't know if there was a
covert meeting on Jl. Lautze," he said.
He said it was impossible for Army generals to launch a coup
because they had been trained not to support such an action.
He suspected that certain people had whispered wrong
information to the president.
In his official visit in Berlin on Friday, Abdurrahman ruled
out the possibility of a military coup, saying: "I know my
military men well and they will stick to the Constitution."
He also retorted Tyasno's description of the current situation
at home. "The situation in Jakarta is not dangerous. Tyasno just
wants to warn his soldiers," the President said.
In another strong response to Abdurrahman's allegation, House
Speaker Akbar Tandjung called on the President to refrain from
voicing words that could trigger instability.
"The House's function is to control the government. It is in
this framework that we are reminding the President not to make
statements that could cause confusion among the people," Akbar
said in a seminar to assess Abdurrahman's performance after 100
days in office.
Abdurrahman may have been mistakenly referring to a meeting
held by former student movement leader, Hariman Siregar, who
hosted a reunion with fellow veteran activists at his residence
on Jl. Lautze III on Wednesday.
Hariman confirmed the meeting, but said: "No generals were
present."
People at hand included Eggy Sudjana, Agus Lenon and Mulyana
W. Kusumah, according to Hariman, who was jailed by the
government of former president Soeharto and was closely linked to
his successor B.J. Habibie.
Hariman said the former activists discussed current political
issues, including the human rights abuse charges leveled at
several military top brass.
Mulyana, who is the secretary-general of the Independent
Committee for Elections Monitoring (KIPP) also confirmed the
meeting.
He said the TNI officers' defense lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution
spoke at the event.
"There were no military officers attending the meeting," he
told The Jakarta Post. (jun/rms)