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Suharto Loyalist Takes
Over Military
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The
Associated Press
Tuesday June
18, 2002 |
Suharto Loyalist Takes Over
Military
Tue Jun 18, 1:52 PM ET
By SLOBODAN LEKIC,
Associated Press Writer
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - An army
general who was a close ally of former dictator Suharto ( news
- web
sites) took command of Indonesia's military on Tuesday,
restoring to dominance a force with a long history of human rights
abuses.
Gen. Endriartono Sutarto played a
key role in last year's ouster of reformist President Abdurrahman
Wahid and Wahid's replacement by deputy Megawati Sukarnoputri. But
he is mostly known as the commander of Suharto's bodyguards during
Suharto's brutal rule.
"On this occasion, I instruct
all soldiers to be disciplined, to respect the principles of
democracy and human rights and the supremacy of the law,"
Sutarto told about 1,000 troops assembled for a ceremony marking
the handover at military headquarters.
Sutarto's appointment has been
criticized as a reversal of Wahid's policy of ending the army's
domination of the military by promoting top officers from the navy
and air force — services considered untainted by human rights
abuses.
Sutarto, 55, took over from Navy
Adm. Widodo Adisutjipto. The admiral was the first non-army
officer to head the Indonesian military in its 57-year history.
By picking Sutarto, Megawati
bypassed an air force commander who was next in line for the job.
The army formed the main pillar of
Suharto's brutal 32-year dictatorship, which collapsed in 1998
amid pro-democracy protests. At the time, Sutarto commanded the
Jakarta-based presidential guard regiment.
Under the dictatorship, the army
exercised tight control, repressing all opposition and using force
to ensure the unity of the ethnically, religiously and racially
disparate archipelago. It has been accused of committing extensive
human rights abuses in East Timor ( news
- web
sites), Aceh, West Papua and other provinces.
Suharto, himself an army general,
rewarded the service's loyalty by appointing senior officers to
key government posts and the rubber-stamp legislature.
The fortunes of the army, which
accounts for about two-thirds of Indonesia's 300,000 military
personnel, weakened under Suharto's immediate successor, B.J.
Habibie.
When Wahid was elected president in
1999, he moved quickly to abolish the doctrine of "dwifungsi"
— or dual function — which allowed the army to meddle in the
workings of the government.
Wahid often accused Suharto
loyalists in the military of instigating religious and other
conflicts to destabilize his administration and undermine civilian
rule. His acrimonious relationship with the generals reached a
climax last July, when they backed Megawati in her successful bid
to replace him.
Also Tuesday, a team of physicians
examined Suharto to determine if he is fit to stand trial on
corruption charges. Afterward, the doctors said they needed to run
more tests. Suharto, 81, is accused of embezzling $600 million
from a number of charities during his rule.
Court proceedings were suspended
two years ago after doctors testified that a series of strokes had
left him mentally incapable of facing trial.
Indonesia's Supreme Court has ruled
the case against Suharto must be reopened if his health improves.
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