NOTORIOUS FORMER GENERAL TRIES TO MAKE MARK IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001614

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL/AWH
NSC FOR EPHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2018
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM ID
SUBJECT: NOTORIOUS FORMER GENERAL TRIES TO MAKE MARK IN
POLITICS

REF: A. JAKARTA 1593

B. JAKARTA 1441

C. JAKARTA 1405

D. JAKARTA 1366

E. JAKARTA 1043 AND PREVIOUS

JAKARTA 00001614 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Prabowo Subianto, a retired general with a
poor human rights record, has formed his own political party
and announced that he plans to run for president. Prabowo's
case is similar to that of Wiranto (one name only),another
former general who is a candidate for president and also has
a poor human rights record. While his party seems to be
well-funded and is already running slick TV ads, few
observers think that Prabowo et al. will make much of a mark.
END SUMMARY.


2. (C) This message is part of Mission's background series
on Indonesia's political parties ahead of the April 2009
national legislative elections. Ref B discusses the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P),Ref C
concerns the National Awakening Party (PKB),Ref D focuses on
Golkar and Refs E analyze the Islamic-oriented Prosperous
Justice Party.

HE'S BACK!


3. (C) A notorious former military officer is back in the
news. Prabowo, a former general, has formed his own
political party and announced that he intends to run for
president in 2009. (Note: The legislative elections take
place in April 2009 and the presidential elections take place
in July 2009.) Prabowo's party is called Gerindra (a Bahasa
Indonesia acronym standing for "Great Indonesia Movement").


4. (C) The party was founded in February 2007 and remains
extremely small. It does have various offices around the
country and was officially listed as a party by the Election
Commission for purposes of the April 2009 legislative
elections. In keeping with Prabowo's rhetoric, the party
stands substantively for forceful nationalism and adherence
to "Pancasila" (Indonesia's founding national code, which
does not recognize any single religion but several). The
party seems well-funded and has already put slick
advertisements on TV focusing on such themes as prosperity
and agriculture.

A CONTROVERSIAL REPUTATION


5. (C) To say that Prabowo has a controversial reputation is
an understatement. As a high-ranking general in the late
1990's (including service as commander of Kopassus, Army
special forces) and a close associate of the Suharto
administration, Prabowo was implicated in serious human
rights abuses that took place in Indonesia and East Timor.
Due to his general unpopularity and on the run from various
court cases, he went into self-exile in Jordan and Germany
for several years. He re-appeared in time for the 2004
presidential elections, but he was defeated for the
nomination of the Golkar party.


6. (C) Prabowo, 56, also is a former member of the Suharto
family by marriage. In a connection which helped his
military career immensely, he was married to one of Suharto's
daughters, Titiek, before they divorced several years ago.
Prabowo is believed to continue to maintain close links with
some members of the Suharto clan. While Prabowo also has
money (he is involved in several companies),these
Suharto-related links are believed to be key for the funding
of his party and political activities.

JAKARTA 00001614 002.2 OF 002




7. (C) Prabowo is also known for choosing controversial
associates. One high-level member of his party is Muchdi
Purwoprandjono, a former intelligence official and
high-ranking general (also a former commander of Kopassus)
who has been charged with complicity in the murder of
well-known human rights activist Munir Thalib in October

2004. Muchdi's trial began last week (see Ref A) and a
conviction in the highly publicized case would likely
severely impair any chances that Prabowo and his party have
in the 2009 election.

TENSIONS WITH ANOTHER FORMER GENERAL


8. (C) Prabowo has very poor relations with another general,
Wiranto, who is also running for president. Rivals for power
toward the end of Suharto's long reign, the two have clashed
repeatedly over the years, including in 2003-04 when Wiranto
defeated Prabowo and became Golkar's candidate for president.
Prabowo is also believed to resent Wiranto over what he
considers to be the "selling out" of rank-and-file troops who
were charged earlier this decade with human rights abuses in
East Timor.

NOT GIVEN MUCH OF A CHANCE


9. (C) Though seemingly well-financed, observers do not
think that Prabowo will make much of a mark in 2009. Prabowo
is not seen as a particularly effective politician and his
party is new and untested. In addition, he is basically
competing with Wiranto for the same voters, i.e., those who
want "a strong-armed leader" in charge again. All that said,
Prabowo is a survivor with connections and money, all factors
which indicate that he should not be completely counted out.

HUME