Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Jakarta has witnessed some very strange events in the last 48 hours – the army's strategic reserve chief Lieutenant-General Ryamizard Ryacudu sitting astride a tank told his troops that he would defend democracy to the hilt, amid threats that the first democratically elected president was about to declare martial law.

"We are the people's soldiers. We'll be standing at the people's side if they find themselves in conflict with the government," said Lt-General Ryamizard.

Even more ominously for President Abdurrahman Wahid, after several of his soldiers had pledged their allegiance to the constitution and a united Indonesia, Lt-General Ryamizard warned that if they had to choose between the President and the people, the army was firmly on the side of the people.

"We will maintain loyalty to the President because he was legitimately elected, but if the people make a different demand, we will adjust ourselves accordingly," he said during Sunday's ceremony, according to the Jakarta Post.

Mr Abdurrahman has since denied the charges that he was planning to declare a state of emergency or sack Lt-General Ryamizard and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff. "Trust me that currently the President does not have a plan to issue the decree or replace the Army chief," said Defence Minister Mohammad Mahfud according to national newswire Antara.

The irony of 1000 strategic command troops and their commander pledging their loyalty to the country rather than one leader, and loudly voicing opposition to martial law has not been lost on observers here. The scene was a mix of some possible political posturing as well as a response to the real threat that Mr Abdurrahman might well be impetuous enough to dismiss his army chief and declare martial law say analysts.

However, some of the generals may also be stirring the crisis in an attempt to ensure that their favoured candidate's – Ms Megawati – path to the presidential seat is not blocked by opponents, say analysts. "They like to give the impression that they are apolitical but they are still playing at politics by supplying ammunition to the opposition," said analyst Kusnanto Anggoro from the Centre for Strategic Studies.

So has the Indonesian armed forces, not known for its tolerance for political expression during the Suharto era, suddenly become more democratic than the President, refusing to accept an offer of power?

To a certain extent the answer is yes. They no longer want to be used by one political figure such as Mr Abdurrahman, said Mr Harold Crouch from the International Crisis Centre. But the armed forces also see that they are no longer capable of running government, and to become part of a military government would not be a good career move, said Mr Kusnanto.

Instead they are far better to ally themselves with Ms Megawati who shares the same nationalistic concerns about the disintegration of Indonesia and is prepared to give the forces some power.

Ironically, however, it appears that part of the general's opposition to martial law springs from a well-founded fear of mass unrest. Something the army, rather than the President, is trying to prevent.

"They fear that there will be blood on the streets and they want to avoid this. They don't want a repeat of May 1998. Because although they may have started it, they know that they would not be able to handle it," said Mr Harold Crouch from the International Crisis Group.

In what is now being called the May riots of 1998, devastating violence broke out shortly after former president Suharto stepped down amid widespread riots that left more than 1000 people dead. The unrest saw ethnic Chinese targetted with their properties looted, shops destroyed and the women sexually harassed and raped by the rioters.

In the aftermath, there were allegations that members of the military were responsible for inciting the riots by exploiting existing racial and socioeconomic differences.