Wiranto tells students to uphold democracy

Wiranto tells students to uphold democracy

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Military (TNI) expects students
to continue to serve as a moral force and help uphold democracy,
TNI Commander Gen. Wiranto said during a meeting with some 300
student leaders here on Saturday.

"TNI hopes students continue to play their role as a moral
force in upholding reform and democracy," said Wiranto, also the
minister of defense and security, during the meeting organized by
the Golkar-affiliated Students Group.

He suggested students not get involved in practical politics
because it could taint their noble mission.

Wiranto pledged to return the military to its original mission
of defense and security. He also said TNI would be proactive in
fighting for the nation's interests at the upcoming General
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The military will remain neutral, but will exercise its voting
rights to help the country and not any particular political
party, he said.

"It is impossible for the military to stay out of or abstain
from the General Session of the MPR as many sides have called on
the military to do. TNI is part of the nation and has a moral and
political obligation to fight for national interests...," he
said.

He defined "neutrality" as not getting involved in the
maneuvers of the political elite or forming alliances with
political parties

"However, being neutral is not identical with abstaining," he
said. "The military will not be a part of the nation's problem,
but part of its solution."

He also promised the military would continue its reform
program in order to improve its image.

Regret

Wiranto regretted the military's past policy of siding with
the ruling Golkar Party to support the New Order regime, a policy
he said badly tarnished the military's reputation.

"I am very, very sorry and sad that the military took the
wrong way and it is very difficult for its present leadership to
repair the situation," he said.

He said the military backed Golkar in the latter's effort to
win elections and create a strong government under former
president Soeharto.

"Therefore, it was not strange at that time for a general to
say members of the military were Golkar's cadres, and for all
ABRI members, from the lowest to the highest ranks, to be
deployed to campaign for the party," he said. ABRI is the acronym
for the Armed Forces, which is what the Indonesian Military was
called during the New Order regime.

He begged for the people to remain patient if the military's
reform appeared to be moving slowly, saying it was impossible to
remedy past policies in only a few years.

"We need a long time to gradually repair the corrupt culture
and faults which were part of our culture for 32 years," he said.

Regarding Andi M. Ghalib, a lieutenant general in the Army who
stepped down as attorney general following charges of corruption,
Wiranto said the Military Police would announce the results of
its investigation into the case next week.

State Secretary/Minister of Justice Muladi said on Friday the
government had no plan to return Ghalib to his job as attorney
general.

"Acting Attorney General Ismoedjoko will continue to serve the
remainder of (Ghalib's term) for the next two months," he said
after attending a plenary session of the House of
Representatives. (rms)