The Jakarta Post, May 30, 2002
Loyalty of soldiers in Maluku challenged
Lela E. Madjiah, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Indonesian military personnel serving in Maluku face a tough choice: Remain loyal to
the republic or leave the military.
The option was offered by Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Chief Lt.
Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu during a one-day visit to Ambon on May 20.
"If you prefer fighting for your place of origin or religion to being loyal to the state and
the military, please leave the service," Ryamizard told the troops of Kostrad's 503rd
Battalion, which is currently deployed in the province, at the Mahardika square in the
city on Tuesday.
"The security forces are the nation's last line in defending the country's sovereignty as
well as protecting its people, regardless of their religion and ethnic background,"
added Ryamizard, who ordered tough sanctions against deserters and soldiers who
took sides with the warring parties.
Ryamizard has every reason to be tough on his troops. It is obvious that one factor
behind the prolonged ethno-religious conflict in Maluku is failure of the security forces
to remain neutral.
Under normal circumstances, if the state were facing a foreign enemy and loyalty of
the troops were 100 percent guaranteed, Ryamizard's order would sound absurd.
However, Maluku is not a normal situation. Troops are dealing with people they know,
even their own flesh and blood.
This is not the first time soldiers have faced a heart-rending situation. The history of
the republic is replete with secessionist movements that have sacrificed thousands of
lives, both civilian and military, to keep the nation intact. All those struggles against
armed separatist movements have also caused pain because they divided people who
were once brothers and sisters into opposing camps.
The 13-year Darul Islam rebellion (1949-1962), for example, pitted government troops
against the rebels, who had once fought alongside the military against Dutch colonial
troops. More than that, both the rebels and many in the military shared the same
background, having come from similar hometowns, sharing a language and a religion.
During the fight against Darul Islam rebels in West Java, a Muslim stronghold,
government troops faced an elusive and tough enemy that enjoyed support from the
population because of its religious sentiment.
To ensure combat effectiveness, the government then deployed troops from outside
Java to West Java to fight the Darul Islam rebels. At the same time, troops from Java
were sent to Sumatra and Sulawesi to crush the PRRI/Permesta (Pemerintah
Revolusioner Republik Indonesia/Perjuangan Semesta Alam) rebellion.
The situation in Maluku today is not exactly the same, as troops are not dealing with
rebels, apart from those in the South Maluku Republic separatist movement. However,
there are similarities between the situation in Maluku and the era when TNI had to
quell various rebellions.
As in the past, religious and ethnic issues play a dominant factor in the Maluku
conflict. On one hand soldiers must tread carefully along those lines, for otherwise
they will not get popular support and will only create new enemies. On the other, they
must be firm in dealing with armed civilians. The order is to take action against any
armed civilian, although in reality that is not as simple as it might sound. This is
especially true for soldiers at the military command (Kodam), who are mostly locals.
Even if they don't take sides with the conflicting camps, it is understandable for them
to sympathize with either camp for reasons of religious or cultural empathy.
Apart from that, it is difficult for soldiers to maintain loyalty to the state when their own
lives are under threat. In Maluku military personnel have been threatened into taking
sides, otherwise their lives and those of their families would be jeopardized.
"They (Christian and Muslim groups) threaten soldiers into joining them. Muslim or
Christian militia would not hesitate to kill soldiers who refuse to fight on their side.
Quite a few soldiers and policemen have been coerced into fighting for one camp or
the other through fear for their own lives or those of their families," an Army colonel
told The Jakarta Post.
Ryamizard's "ultimatum" is also a wake-up call to a harsh reality: That the Indonesian
Military (TNI) has failed to command the loyalty of its troops. Haven't the troops
pledged loyalty to the nation and the people, regardless of their ethnicity and religion,
instead of to their religion or ethnicity? This is an issue TNI has to address, because
failure to deal with this problem will not only cost TNI its troops but will also place the
nation in jeopardy. When TNI, and the police, fail to provide protection for all and
remain neutral in communal conflicts, then fears of disintegration will materialize into
reality.
As part of an attempt to solve this problem, TNI has started sending local personnel
out of the area and sending in soldiers from outside Maluku.
"We have also asked personnel not to join locals in performing their religious duties.
Instead, we hold our own services, both for Muslims and Christians," said Lt. Col. Tri
S., commander of Kostrad's 503rd Battalion.
He said the policy was enforced to ensure the soldiers' neutrality.
"Once they worshiped alongside locals at the mosque or church, they would have
emotional ties with the local people that would be difficult to sever," he explained.
According to Tri, the key to ending the conflict in Maluku was for security forces to be
firm and neutral.
"We can't do that when our own soldiers are divided along religious and ethnic lines.
We must first 'clean' ourselves from divisive elements before we perform our task," he
said.
Pattimura Military chief Brig. Gen. Mustopo, meanwhile, said he would approach the
issue carefully.
"We must have proof (before accusing someone of impartiality)," he told reporters,
following Ryamizards' order.
So far no member of the Pattimura Military command has been charged with
partiality.
"There have been violations, but not serious ones like desertion, and the number is
less than 20," he said.
However, an Army source said there were over 100 soldiers who had "defected" to
their communities for fear of reprisal from their own people. They also took their
weapons and ammunition with them, said the source.
His revelation explains Ryamizard's tough statement, but, as Mustopo said, it was a
delicate matter that required more than just decisiveness, but wisdom as well.
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