Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Tue, 13 Oct 1992 11:21:06 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.APC.ORG>
Subject:      IN: General Try Rejects Change

/* Written 11:18 am  Oct 13, 1992 by apakabar in cdp:reg.indonesia */
/* ---------- "General Try Rejects Change" ---------- */


Source: Bernas (Yogyakarta).
Original language: Indonesian.
Date: 1 October 1992.
Dateline: Jakarta.
Byline: None.
Story type: News.
Scope: Substantial excerpt.
Headline: ABRI Commander General Try Sutrisno:
          No Need To Limit Presidential Term
Remark: All the changes rejected by Gen. Try have been publicly
        proposed inside Indonesia by a wide variety of military
        and civilian figures and groups. His only concession
        to status quo practices is mentioned in the last paragraph.

ABRI Commander (Pangab) Gen. Try Sutrisno says that ABRI believes
the total number of ABRI members in the Indonesian People's Representative
Council (DPR) is quite a relevant matter.  The total does not yet
need to change.  ABRI disagrees with the desire of some social and
political organizations which have proposed that the term in office
of the president be limited to a specific period.

The statement of the ABRI Commander was delivered by ABRI Head of
Social and Political Affairs (Kasospol) Lt. Gen. Harsudiyono Hartas
in a talk to PPP members of the DPR and People's Consultative
Council (MPR) at the Sahid Jaya Hotel in Jakarta Wednesday night.

"In our state system, sovereignty rests in the hands of the people
which is carried out wholly by the MPR," he said.

According to the Pangab, article 7 of the 1945 Constitution is quite
democratic.  It provides that the MPR, manifesting the people's
sovereignty, is given the authority to elect or re-elect a president.

Limiting the presidential term to a specific period, he went on, could
be interpreted as infringing on the people's sovereignty and changing
the 1945 Constitution.  "So let the election of the president for
each period be decided by the wishes of the people themselves through
each MPR General Session (SU, Sidang Umum)," the Pangab continued.

According to the Pangab, there are still voices in some groups
which question the presence or total membership of ABRI in the
DPR and MPR.  These voices say the presence of ABRI is undemocratic
and the total ABRI membership is too great.  "In addition, there
are those who say that having ABRI members just in the MPR is
adequate and that there is no need for ABRI members to sit in the
DPR."

The Pangab said ABRI would not react emotionally to these voices.
"ABRI's view is clear.  The presence and total of ABRI members in
the DPR and MPR is in line with all operative provisions of law,"
he emphasized.

If the total number of ABRI members was felt to be excessive and needed
to be adapted to the situation, ABRI would still take as its guideline
the state speech of President Soeharto on 15 August 1992 before the DPR
in which the president said any changes needed to be discussed and a
national consensus reached on them.

The important thing, he went on, is that ABRI's function as dynamizer
and stabilizer still be able to be carried out in accord with ABRI's
social and political mission.  ABRI's presence as a social and political
force in legislative institutions is something absolute and everlasting
in accord with the mandate of the constitution as well as from the
sociological angle and the history of ABRI's birth and ABRI's role.

The Pangab also stated that ABRI sees the 'floating mass' concept
as preventing the compartmentalization of society.  Compartmentalization
yields no benefits to efforts to cultivate the national union and
unity which is absolutely necessary in the context of national
development.

The 'floating mass' also will enable a more democratic life to grow
since the mass is free to choose the political organization with the
best program.  "So the 'floating mass' still needs to be retained
and there is no need to eliminate it.  The same for Law No. 3/1985
concerning the political parties and Golkar.  There is no need for
it to be changed," he said.

He also spotlighted the leadership offices of the DPR and MPR.  The
Pangab said ABRI believes the DPR and MPR leadership do not need
to be separate.  Rather, they should still double up as now for the
sake of efficiency.

According to the Pangab, article 2, clause 2 of the 1945 Constitution
mentions the MPR as meeting at least once in five years.  "ABRI sees
the basic task of the MPR leadership as leading the MPR sessions.
The MPR leadership does not have the authority to issue political
statements in the name of the MPR.  The MPR itself oversees the
implementation of the president's tasks, not the DPR," he emphasized.

The Pangab also touched on the Group Representatives (Utusan Golongan)
in the MPR.  He believes the Group Representatives do not need to join
one of the other factions (fraksi).  "Elements among the Group
Representatives already have vehicles inside the existing factions
in accord with the rules of order of the MPR," he explained.
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