---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, JULY 26 1999 General session: Wiranto Warns Against Mobilising People During Presidential Election Surabaya, E Java, Jul 25 <ANTARA> - Minister for Defence and Security/Commander of the Indonesian Military, Gen. Wiranto has asked political party leaders in the country not to mobilize people to interfere in the presidential election at the People's Consultative Assembly <MPR> general session in November. "Those taking part in the presidential election in the general assembly are only the people's representatives totalling only 700. No supporters will take part. People should never be mobilized to interfere," he told Islamic ulemas in Jombang, East Java, on Saturday night. Wiranto was here to attend a meeting held by the Darul Ulum University of Jombang. He was accompanied by East Java Military Commander Maj. Gen. Ryamizard, Military chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif and other officers. "I don't agree with thumbprints, footprints or others such signs as they violated democracy. People's representatives have got the mandate from the people to elect a president. One man one vote, whether it is closed or open," he added. Therefore, he called on and remainded politicians not to fool the people by asking them to do certain things during the MPR general session. He said politicians not should be remainded not to mobilize people again after they have been involved in recent election campaigns. "If supporters are invited during the MPR general session, it would no be right, we will prevent this from happening. This is dangerous. There would be a 'war' if the number of the supporters reaches 10,000 to 100,000," he said. Meanwhile, in his speech during the anniversary of Syech Abdul Qodir Jaleni, Wiranto asked the people to leave the MPR general session to the politicians and nation's leaders to enable it to produce a useful agreement for the people and the nation. "But, in fact, this is still difficult. They all will try to become for or that. This will make other groups reluctant to compromise with others, and may even ask the people to jeopardize the general session," he said. "Everyday, we see on television ceaseless debates. One tries to beat the others. This is not good," he added. He further said that actually there is a big task that is being forgotten, namely how to overcome the current protracted economic crisis faced by all the people. "We forget that there is a more important task, which needs higher priority, namely freeing the people from the crisis. This is a big job, but if we now watch television, we will notice that everything is focused on how to get a position," he added. Such a condition is a sad one as when the nation needs unity and integrity, there support leading to diversify, he said. On the dialogue, Wiranto reaffirmed that during the MPR general session TNI will focus on the people's interest, including the 38 military officers in DPR/MPR. <U.SBY-006/nn04/INT-NG/22:33/ri2/22:5/TB05> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 28 Jul 1999 jam 07:47:11 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
