DATE=1/27/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDONESIA / GENERALS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-258475
BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid
has confirmed that four top generals serving in
the presidential cabinet will be forced to retire
from the armed forces. As Patricia Nunan reports
from Jakarta, the move comes amid intense
speculation that members of the military are
planning to take over the president's three
month-old government.
TEXT: Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid
says he has signed a presidential decree that
releases four top generals from military duty.
He says the generals are being retired from the
army to enable them to concentrate on their
civilian posts. Among the four is the
coordinating minister for political and security
affairs, General Wiranto.
General Wiranto held the posts of minister of
defense and head of the armed forces under
Indonesia's previous two governments. He is
considered an especially powerful figure in
Indonesian politics because of the support he
built within the armed forces while he was in
charge.
The move to retire the four generals comes amid
concern that some members of the armed forces may
be planning to stage a coup d'etat. Without
providing names, President Abdurrahman Wahid
accused members of the military of provoking
violence in Indonesia's troubled Aceh and Malaku
provinces in order to destabilize his government.
Fears of an overthrow were raised early in Mr.
Wahid's administration. Defense Minister Juwono
Sudarsono publicly compared Indonesia to Pakistan
-- where generals recently overthrew the elected
government.
Since then, both the defense minister and General
Wiranto have consistently denied charges that the
military has been planning a takeover.
Along with General Wiranto, the minister for
mines and energy, Lieutenant General Susilo
Bambang Yudyhono, Transport Minister Lieutenant
General Agum Gumelar, and Administrative Reforms
Minister Rear Admiral Freddy Numberi will be
retired from active duty. All four will retain
their cabinet posts.
Despite the widely expressed concerns about the
intentions of the military, Indonesian Foreign
Minister Alwi Shihab says that Mr. Wahid believes
that more than 90 percent of the armed forces are
loyal to him.
The decision to retire the generals comes a day
before President Wahid's planned two-week trip
through Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The
president says the purpose of the trip is to
attract investment for Indonesia's stagnant
economy. (Signed)
NEB/PN/GC/KL
27-Jan-2000 06:57 AM EDT (27-Jan-2000 1157 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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