ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Indonesia's former military chief, General Wiranto, says he blocked plans for a military coup during a wave of riots in 1998. The protests forced former President Suharto to release his 32-year grip on power. General Wiranto told a parliamentary panel that he resisted pressure to seize power because he was determined to uphold the constitution. Indonesia's fledgling democratic government has been trying to curb the military's influence on politics since taking office late last year. RCTI takes a look at some of the changes.</s>RCTI REPORTER (voice-over): Indonesia's transition into a fully functioning democracy could not come at a more favorable time. President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri enjoy wide public support and tremendous international good will. As a result, they may be the first civilian leaders in decades with enough clout to dismantle military dominance. Defense minister Juwono Sudharsono says the Wahid administration is serious in getting the Indonesian military, or TNI, to renounce politics, and go back to the job they are best at: soldiering. Already, plans are underfoot to streamline the 6,000-strong elite army unit, Kopasos (ph), into a strike force of only 700. The powerful unit was once an extension of the previous regime's strong-armed methods to silence opposition. Now it will mainly deal with anti- terrorist operations. The government is also struggling to curb army dominance in defense affairs by appointing officials from unconventional career paths. Former academic Juwono Sudharsono, for instance, is the first civilian to hold the post of defense minister. Armed forces chief Admiral Widodo
Indonesia's Government Trying to Curb Military's Influence on Politics