PRESIDENT DISCLOSES TNI PARTIALITY IN 2004 ELECTION

Jakarta, Jan 30 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has disclosed the partiality of National Defense Forces (TNI) and National Police (Polri) personnel in 2004 general election.

"There was a kind of policy or instruction which disturbed the neutrality of TNI and Police in 2004 general election and it really hurt me," President Yudhoyono said in a function to give directives to the participants of TNI and Polri leadership meeting at the State Palace here on Thursday.
Yudhoyono said that a TNI unit command forum in the 2004 general election warned its members against voting for certain presidential candidate from certain political party, and it was also true with Polri.
"It did happen five years ago and I have forgiven it," the president said.
But he admitted that the forum which disturbed the neutrality of TNI and Polri in the 2004 election was not an institutional instruction but the deed of certain figures in the body of TNI and Polri.
For almost five years as state leader, President Yudhoyono said it was the first time he disclosed the partiality of TNI and Polri in 2004 election, and expressed hope that similar thing would not happen again in this year's general election.
The president admitted to have received an information which said that a number of THI and Polri top officials had been rumored to be the success team of certain presidential candidate.
"But I am certain that the information is not true," the president said, adding that the TNI and Polri's top officials would not make arbitrary statement and be careful in taking action.
To the TNI and Polri officials who attended the meeting, President Yudhoyono reminded them to be neutral in this year's general election.
According to the president, the neutrality of TNI and Polri was highly expected by the political parties and all people of Indonesia.
"There are at least 38 political parties leaders who shared my opinion that the TNI and Polri be neutral," the president said.