The Jakarta Post, December 08, 2003
Separatist movements are main threat to RI, not terrorism
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia's defense white paper puts terrorism behind separatism as the main
security threat to the country, a policy that prompts the need of maintaining the
military's territorial function, an official said.
Director-General for Strategic Defense Planning of the Ministry of Defense Maj. Gen.
Sudrajat said that the territorial integrity of Indonesia found its relevance now that the
general public was concerned about the existence of the unitary state of Indonesia,
while terrorism remained the center of controversy in the country.
"There is misunderstanding among neighboring countries and the U.S. toward
Indonesia's perception of threats. We perceive Indonesia's integrity as the primary
concern, while other countries may presume terrorism is their main concern,"
Sudrajat told the general conference of the Council for Security Cooperation in the
Asia Pacific (CSCAP) here on Sunday.
Indonesia is currently launching a major offensive to quell the prolonged separatist
movement in Aceh and has sent reinforcement troops to Papua to deal with the threat
of separatism there.
The post-New Order administrations have granted the two provinces special autonomy
status in order to appease the outcry for independence there.
Traditional threats, which may manifest themselves in the forms of invasion or
aggression from other countries, look very unlikely to materialize for quite a long time
in the future, Sudrajat said.
"Such threats won't come from our neighbors because according to our calculations,
Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines or even Australia are not in a position to invade
Indonesia. The only country that can invade Indonesia is the United States, in the
condition that we are proven to harbor terrorists," he said.
Separatism, he said, has emerged as the real threat, as well as cross-border crimes,
sea piracy, hijacking, the problems experienced by migrant workers and drug
trafficking.
"Eradicating these domestic issues requires the police and Indonesian Military to
work together," said Sudrajat.
Sudrajat highlighted the necessity of maintaining the territorial function of the
Indonesian Military (TNI) in order to keep soldiers close to society.
"The understanding that the military should be contained to military bases and
barracks, for the time being, is not our paradigm. We can't treat Indonesian Military
the same way as the western countries treat their soldiers. Here the military
originated from the people, fought together with the people and for their interests," he
said.
Rights and pro-democratic activists have been calling for an end to the military
territorial function, on the ground that the role, inherited from the New Order, has
justified its wide-ranging involvement in the sociopolitical field.
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