Chris McCall, Jakarta – Former military chief General Wiranto yesterday finally resigned his cabinet post, after hours of official questioning over the bloodshed that hit East Timor last year.
Condemning soldiers who took sides in the aftermath of the historic vote for independence, General Wiranto said he was stepping down after four months suspension from his post.
He said the decision was to help restore harmony within President Abdurrahman Wahid's cabinet and was not connected to his interrogation. "I take the decision to step down as co-ordinating minister for political and security affairs and will report to the Indonesian President at the first opportunity," he said.
Flanked by his high-powered team of lawyers, including former justice minister Muladi, the man once seen as a possible president appeared drawn after seven hours of questioning at the Attorney-General's office.
Wearing civilian clothes, he said Indonesia's police and military had not taken sides in the conflict, something independent observers dispute. General Wiranto was armed forces chief at the time of the bloodshed and is one of six Indonesian generals named after an Indonesian inquiry implicated them in the violence.
"I must convey my respect and pride to all the soldiers and members of the community who truly and with full dedication and full heart did this very heavy and difficult task," he said. "On the other hand I am very disappointed, and I ordered firm action against, army and police personnel who in fact did not honour a mission they were entrusted with, which means they broke their oath to the country."
General Wiranto's chief lawyer, Adnan Buyung Nasution, stressed he had been questioned as a witness only. General Wiranto is due to face further questioning next Tuesday.
The Attorney-General's office said that next week's session would go into further detail about his role as armed forces chief. A total of 13 questions were put to him yesterday on general issues relating to the organisation of the ballot.
But a leading Indonesian critic of Jakarta's involvement in East Timor condemned the whole questioning as a "whitewash". Yeni Rosa Damayanti said she did not believe any of the six generals would ever face trial unless there was constant pressure from abroad and slammed Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman's handling of the probe.
"Is the intention of this really to collect information to prove that General Wiranto had a part in the riots following the ballot?" she said. "We doubt the seriousness of this Attorney- General in questioning certain generals."