Wiranto warns Moslem community about the dangers of reform

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto warned on Wednesday against allowing the reform movement to degenerate into a revolution.

Addressing a session of the Indonesian Moslem Congress being held at Pondok Gede Haj Dormitory in East Jakarta, he described the risks of letting radical movements create anarchy.

"If we (the nation) cannot manage the reform movement well, it will turn into a revolution... and no revolution has solutions (to the problems it generates) as there will always be a power which turns anarchic and which will get rid of anything in its way," Wiranto said.

The military chief said the spirit of reform must be maintained to safeguard the nation, improve people's welfare and uphold the law, the Constitution, ethics and moral norms.

He pointed out the importance of establishing political stability and security in the wake of the prolonged economic crisis and recent threats of national disintegration.

"We need security and political stability in order to settle the economic crisis and other serious problems we are faced with," he said.

He said it would be impossible to restore national stability while rioting and disorder continue to plague society.

"Therefore, all security disturbing activities must be stopped, and no riots and violations of the law should be tolerated," he said.

He noted that suspicion, contemptuous statements and violence appear to have become part of the reform movement and said they posed a threat to national unity.

Wiranto called on all the nation to help bring an end to the crisis.

"Maintaining security, stability and national resilience should be the responsibility of all of us, including ABRI and other elements of society," he said.

Wiranto also noted that many groups in society have been demanding that inquiries into past human rights abuses be reopened.

He called for people to use wisdom and to place the issue in context, saying that it would be impossible to view all past mistakes and violations through present legal norms.

"(Public) assessment of human rights violations and democratization poses an interesting challenge to the government.

"Yet, it is not effective in terms of (campaigning for) the national interest as it will lead to the creation of a new crisis, with unpredictable risks," he said.

"I therefore call for national reconciliation to restore unity and stability to the nation," he added.

Wiranto insisted that past rights violations should not be blamed on ABRI alone, saying that the actions of individual members of the Armed Forces could not be separated from the national political policies of the day.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Indonesian Council of Islamic Propagation (DDII) Anwar Haryono called for all new Islamic political parties to stand united in the face of challenges posed by the future.

"Challenges will include moral decadence, the potential revival of the communist party and the weakening economy," Anwar was quoted by Antara as saying while addressing a separate session of the congress.

The five-day congress opened on Tuesday. Speakers at Thursday's sessions include former minister of finance Mar'ie Muhammad, Moslem politician Amien Rais, former minister of religious affairs Quraish Shihab and noted ulema Sahal Mahfudz. (imn)