A preference for Moslems in military leadership?<\/p>\n
Rumors have been making their rounds that the military
\nleadership these days is being consciously geared for filling
\nwith those of Moslem background. Noted political scientist Amir
\nSantoso argues that these rumors are totally baseless.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The appointment of Lt. Gen. Hartono as Army
\nchief this week has raised questions as to why the President and
\nthe Armed Forces (ABRI) commander have chosen him?<\/p>\n
The first answer is that Hartono must be considered as a
\ncandidate who is administratively fit for the position. His
\ncolleague at the same rank, Lt. Gen. H.B.L. Mantiri, is at the
\nage of retirement.<\/p>\n
Secondly, Hartono's experience is considered completely
\ncompetent to do the job. He started his career as a local Army
\ncommander in Cirebon. He was then promoted to army regiment
\ncommander in Bengkulu, and later to the post of regional army
\ncommander in East Java.<\/p>\n
After that he was appointed Commander of the Army College of
\nStaff and Command in Bandung, then as Governor of the Institute
\nof National Defense before he became Head of ABRI's Social and
\nPolitical Affairs. In terms of education, Hartono is equally
\nimpressive. He graduated from the Fort Leavenworth military
\ncollege in the United States and also from the Institute of
\nNational Defense.<\/p>\n
Third, there must be political reasons. President Soeharto,
\nlike many other government leaders, would naturally choose
\nsomeone whom he believed has the ability to do the job and is
\nloyal to him. I think, it would be very strange if the President
\nchose someone whose loyalty and capability were in question.<\/p>\n
The ABRI Commander, Gen. Feisal Tanjung, also has his criteria
\nfor proposing Hartono. The commander needs someone who can
\ntranslate his instructions properly. He clearly believes that
\nHartono is capable of doing so.<\/p>\n
But still another question: Why then is a Moslem officer like
\nHartono chosen? Some have asked me whether ABRI is undergoing an
\n"Islamization" process. The local term for this is the
\n"Santrinization of ABRI". The word "santri" refers to Moslem
\nscholars.<\/p>\n
These questions have been raised due to the fact that Feisal
\nTanjung, Hartono and many other officers now in the military
\nleadership are Moslems. Hartono's close ties with the ICMI Moslem
\nintellectuals organization adds fuel to this suspicion.<\/p>\n
However, in my opinion what is happening in ABRI is not an
\nIslamization process. A parallel can be made to what happened
\nduring the leadership period of Gen. (ret.) Benny Moerdani,
\nwhich in my opinion cannot be considered as a period of
\n"Christianization process" in ABRI.<\/p>\n
Of course, it is a fact that ABRI now seems to be more
\ntolerant toward Moslem groups and more understanding about
\nIslamic politics several decades after a traumatic experience
\nwith the Moslems. In the early years of the nation, some Moslem
\ngroups in West Java and South Sulawesi were involved in the
\nrebellion of Darul Islam and Tentara Islam Indonesia. Later, some
\nfanatic Moslems personally took stances against the government.
\nThis situation persisted up to the 1960s and ABRI has always
\nmanaged to subdue them.<\/p>\n
The close relations of ABRI to Moslem groups today does not
\nnecessarily change ABRI's basic ideology. ABRI members still
\nconsider themselves as "Indonesian National Soldiers" (Tentara
\nNasional Indonesia, TNI) and not "Indonesian Islamic Soldiers".
\nTheir ideology is still Pancasila, their pledges are the "Sapta
\nMarga and the "Sumpah Prajurit" proclaiming that they are
\npatriots of Indonesia, without undue bias toward any religious or
\nethnic group. They also take a pledge of loyalty toward the 1945
\nConstitution and swear to maintain it. Thus, if there is a Moslem
\ngroup trying to destabilize Indonesia, for example, ABRI, I
\nbelieve, will move to overcome them. My discussions with many
\nMoslem officers have led me to take this stance.<\/p>\n
The issue of "santrinization" is fueled by rumors that many
\nimportant positions will be occupied by Moslem officers. Of
\ncourse, Gen. Feisal and Gen. Hartono will naturally and
\nculturally be closer to their fellow Moslem officers just like a
\nnon-Moslem commander would naturally and culturally be closer to
\nnon-Moslem colleagues.<\/p>\n
Hence, the tours of duty in the Army following the appointment
\nof Hartono cannot be seen as a part of an Islamization process.
\nIf some Moslem officers are promoted into important positions,
\ntheir appointments are still made on the basis of the existing
\nmerit system and not because they are Moslems.<\/p>\n
It is, therefore, clear that non-Moslem officers will also be
\nappointed. In fact, I have heard that in a few days, Gen. F.X.
\nSudjasmin, a Catholic, will become a deputy chief of the Army.
\nSome regional commanders at the moment are also non-Moslem
\ngenerals. Thus, what is happening today in ABRI is similar to
\nwhat happened during the previous period. Capability and
\nprofessionalism are still the two main criteria for promotion
\namong ABRI ranks, not other motives.<\/p>\n
The writer is a lecturer of political science at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia and at the Graduate Study Program of
\nJayabaya University.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-preference-for-moslems-in-military-leadership-1447893297",
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