The Reaction Of The TNI Commander Hadi Tjahjanto After Hearing Gatot Nurmantyo's Accusations About The Suharto Cs Raib Statue

Photo: BPMI Setpres/Kris

JAKARTA - Former TNI (Army) Commander Gatot Nurmantyo admitted to receiving information that statues of Suharto, Lt. Gen. Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, and General AH. Nasution had disappeared from Army Strategic Reserve Command Headquarters. Gatot's successor, TNI Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto was 'lazy' in responding to his senior's statement.

"I don't want to have polemics about things that cannot be scientifically proven. A statement cannot be based solely on the presence of a statue somewhere", said the TNI Commander in Jakarta, Monday, September 27.

Hadi Tjahjanto said this was in response to Gatot Nurmantyo's statement, which accused PKI supporters of infiltrating back into the TNI. This indication was proven when Gatot played a short video describing the disappearance of some evidence of the G30S/PKI crackdown at the Dharma Bhakti Museum at the Kostrad (Army Strategic Command) Headquarters.

"This issue has actually been clarified by the relevant institutions", said Marshal Hadi.

The former Air Force Chief of Staff considers Gatot Nurmantyo's statement as senior adviser to soldiers who are still active to always be vigilant so that the dark pages of history do not happen again.

"I prefer this statement as a senior advisor to us as active TNI soldiers to always be vigilant so that the black pages of history do not happen again", said the TNI Commander.

As a TNI institution, he added, TNI soldiers always guide that mental and ideological factors are vital.

"For this reason, intensive monitoring both externally and internally has always been on the main agenda, not only against left radicals but also against right radicals and other radicals", said Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto as quoted by Antara.

Previously, Head of Information for Army Strategic Command, Colonel Inf Haryantana, in a press release, in Jakarta, Monday, said that Kostrad had never dismantled or removed historical statues of the G30S/PKI crackdown (statues of Indonesian Second President Suharto, statues of Lieutenant General TNI Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, and General AH Nasution ) at the Dharma Bhakti Museum at the Kostrad Headquarters.

"However, the demolition of the statues was purely the request of Lieutenant General TNI (Ret.) Azmyn Yusri Nasution as an idea maker and for inner and outer peace", said Haryantana.

According to him, Army Strategic Command had no idea to dismantle the statues of Indonesian Second President Suharto, Lt. Gen. Sarwo Edhie, and General AH Nasution that were in Suharto's office at the Dharma Bhakti Museum at the Kostrad Headquarters.

He said that there was an earlier request from Lieutenant General TNI Azmyn Yusri Nasution as the maker of the statues.

Azmyn, according to Haryantana, asked the Army Strategic Commander Lt. Gen. Dudung Abdurachman directly to be able to hand over the statues to him.

"It was the statue that made Lt. Gen. Retired AY (Azmyn Yusri) Nasution when he served as Commander of the Army Strategic Command, then on August 30, 2021, Mr. Azmyn Yusri Nasution asked the Army Strategic Commander Lt. Gen. Dudung Abdurrachman to be handed back to Lt. Gen. Purn AY (Azmyn Yusri) Nasution", he said.