LAKSAMANA.Net, October 17, 2002 12:23 PM
Megawati & Bambang Yudhoyono More Powerful
October 17, 2002 12:23 PM, Editor
Laksamana.Net - The struggle for power following the Bali bomb blast has come to
the surface. Tension between Vice President Hamzah Haz and Coordinating Minister
for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is just part of the story.
A source close to intelligence circles told Laksamana.net that Yudhoyono had
become a victim of disinformation made by his secretary general, former East Java
Military Command chief Lieutenant General Sudi Silalahi.
Silalahi, who is known to be close to former Armed Forces commander General
Wiranto, was reported to have regularly fed false information to his superior
Yudhoyono by assuring him there was no need to be worried about the existence of
any terrorist organizations in the country.
On the basis of this false information, Yudhoyono assured President Megawati
Sukarnoputri that authorities had no reason to strengthen their alertness in
anticipation of any possible attacks by terrorist organizations, be they linked to
Al-Qaeda or other groups of Muslim fanatics.
When the Bali bombing suddenly hit on October 21, killing about 200 people,
Yudhoyono felt being betrayed by his subordinate, said the source. Silalahi's
maneuver to give disinformation to Yudhoyono was apparently motivated by a desire
to remove Yudhoyono from Megawati's inner circle.
The schemers had hoped that when Megawati began to realize that Yudhoyono's
information on terrorism threats was unreliable, she would turn to other sources for
more reliable information.
"But the effects of the Bali bombing have not resulted in a weakening of Megawati's
power. On the contrary, Megawati and Bambang Yudhoyono have become much
more solid to take harsher action in combating terrorism," the source told
Laksamana.net.
Tensions within the government were clearly demonstrated at last Monday's
(14/10/02) cabinet meeting when Yudhoyono persistently demanded tough action be
taken against possible terrorist threats, thereby putting himself at odds with Vice
President Hamzah Haz, who is known for his sympathetic stance toward extremist
Muslim leaders.
State intelligence chief Hendropriyono is a different story. From almost the very start
of Megawati's administration, Hendro had been warning about the involvement of
Al-Qaeda in troubled areas such as Poso, Central Sulawesi, but Islamic elements
ruled out this warning as a piece of political engineering designed by the intelligence
community.
Some sources said that as the nation's top intelligence official, expected by Megawati
to counter the covert operations launched by ex-president Suharto's generals linked to
Islamic militant groups such as the Laskar Jihad militia group and Islamic Defenders
Front, Hendropriyono's performance has been very disappointing.
Several of his deputies within the National Intelligence Agency are not completely
loyal or obedient to his instructions. Worse still, says one intelligence source, Hendro
was quite often given false or inaccurate information on the anatomy of terrorist
networks in Indonesia.
Above all, Hendro has not been consistent in taking sides when it comes to dealing
with the disgruntled retired generals, such former Armed Forces commanders Wiranto
and Feisal Tanjung.
"Hendro's weakness is not a matter of distinguishing between false and reliable
information, but he has a serous problem with his political loyalty and mindset," said
the source.
Small wonder that in the wake of the Bali bombing, Hendro and his intelligence
agency have been under strong pressure from both Yudhoyono and military
authorities, as well as Muslim-based political factions.
As far as Megawati is concerned, knowing that Yudhoyono has become a victim of
disinformation launched by members of Wiranto's faction, such as Sudi Silalahi, there
is a strong possibility the president will retain the chief security mister.
Yudhoyono's good image in the eyes of the US government is believed to be very
helpful in winning Washington's confidence that Mega will be serous in dealing with
terrorist threats.
Although some observers say the Bali bombing was solely an act of extremist terror
designed to kill a maximum number of non-Muslims, others are still looking for
political motives.
Several intelligence experts are wondering why Bali was targeted, as bombing the
resort island was counterproductive to efforts to destabilize Megawati's government.
"Undermining the economic and business sectors of Bali is just a precondition for the
downfall of Megawati, but not a triggering factor," said one security expert.
If the culprits had expected the bombing would cause clashes between Hindus and
Muslim groups that would trigger the collapse of Megawati's government, events have
so far proved otherwise, with all religious organizations condemning the incident –
although tensions between Hindus and Muslims in Bali are on the rise.
Fears that such tensions could be exploited by fundamentalist Muslim leaders, such
as Abu Bakar Baasyir and Habib Rizieq, who blame the Bali bombing on the CIA,
tend to diminish following the official disbandment of Laskar Jihad on Tuesday.
Disbanding Laskar Jihad amid strong suspicion that it was involved the terrorist act,
indicates the generals who allegedly created and funded the militia group now want to
sever their links to the Muslim radicals.
It also shows, a source told Laksamana.net, that Wiranto and the other disgruntled
generals are afraid of retaliation from Yudhoyono, thus indicating the latter is
becoming much stronger.
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