Wiranto warns Moslem community about the dangers of reform
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)