The Jakarta Post, June 14, 2002
TNI's political neutrality a myth: Analysts
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The bill on general elections, which provides that members of the military will be able
to vote and be elected in the 2004 general election, is a good start but on its own is
insufficient to take the military out of politics, say observers.
"As long as the generals still have their own interests in the national political
constellation, the TNI cannot be neutral," Arief Budiman, a lecturer in the University of
Melbourne, was quoted by Antara as saying in Canberra, Australia.
Military leaders here who objected to the bill have said that once it was passed into
law, the military would not be able to remain neutral in politics.
Arief, an expert on Indonesian politics, dismissed the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s claim
of neutrality as a myth.
George Aditjondro, an expert on Indonesian politics from the University of Newcastle,
said the draft law was a "progressive step" in nurturing democracy.
There was nothing to worry about if soldiers were allowed to vote and to be elected in
an election as it was common practice in many countries, George said.
Even so, he said that affording the TNI electoral rights was not enough on its own to
tame the powerful military, but needed to be followed by "total reform" within the
military itself, including the abolition of its much-criticized dual function.
"The TNI/National Police faction in the House should be dissolved and the TNI's dual
function scrapped, particularly as regards socio-political affairs, including the roles of
the socio-political directorate chiefs both at the central and regional levels.
"Without all this, reform will remain elusive as the military's domination in practical
politics over civilians will increase," George told Antara.
No other country had such a massive military presence as represented by the TNI's
territorial commands at all administrative levels from the provinces right down to the
regencies, he said. In fact, the TNI's local political structure was a carbon copy of the
structure of the home affairs ministry.
Arief said a military's neutrality could normally be measured by its loyalty to the
legitimate government headed by the president. But the reality experienced by former
president Abdurrahman Wahid revealed that the TNI had defied his order as the
supreme commander to dissolve the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) when it
started the process of ousting him.
"In this case, the TNI sided with the political decision made by the legislature. In this
case, can the military be considered neutral?" Arief asked.
The campaign to rid the TNI of its political role, he said, remained "unrealistic"
because in reality many of its senior members were supporters of mass
organizations, such as Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, both of which were
closely linked to politics.
The TNI's partiality was also influenced by the fact that many of its leaders held
strategic positions in the decision-making process, he added.
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, who drafted the bill, reiterated on Thursday that
military and police personnel would have to resign completely from their respective
organizations if they wanted to contest legislative seats.
Another analyst, Nurcholish Madjid, also backed efforts to swiftly remove the TNI from
politics so that it could focus on its defense and security duties.
A neutral stance on the part of the military in politics would boost its credibility and
reputation among the people as the move would make it more professional, he told
journalists here on Thursday.
Nurcholish said TNI and police personnel should quit their respective forces and
become civilians if they wanted to vie for seats in the Regional Representatives'
Council (DPD), which along with the House will make up the MPR starting from 2004.
Separately, Egyptian constitutional law expert Mohamed Ershad questioned
Indonesia's political system for accommodating the TNI in its legislative bodies.
"I don't understand why the military institution in Indonesia has official legislative
representatives, while it is part of the government apparatus, and whose status is
similar to that of other departments," he was quoted by Antara as saying in Cairo.
Agus Widjojo, chairman of the TNI/National Police faction in the House, has voiced
his full support for any move to strip the military and the police of their political roles
before the 2009 deadline set by MPR Decree No. 7/2000.
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