Democracy 'may not yield results'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid's approach to
\novercoming separatist problems in the regions through political
\nmeans rather than military strength is cumbersome and does not
\nnecessarily guarantee results, a senior military officer says.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gen. Agus Widjojo, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief of
\nterritorial affairs, said the President has at his disposal
\nnumerous instruments which he can use to resolve problems, from
\npolitics, economics, social, cultural to diplomacy and the
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
\"Thus far, the President has opted for nonmilitary measures.
\nThis is what has happened in Aceh and Irian Jaya,\" Agus said,
\nreferring to two provinces which have seen an increase in
\nseparatist sentiments.<\/p>\n
The decision not to use the military option has restricted
\nTNI's effectiveness in putting down unrest, he added.<\/p>\n
\"Without political support, the security apparatus can do
\nnothing. We do not have the legal umbrella to act. If we forced
\nour way into the troubled regions, we would only draw reactions
\nand accusations of human rights violations,\" said the 1970
\ngraduate of the Armed Forces Academy.<\/p>\n
The President may have chosen the right path but the process
\nis not necessarily effective and is very cumbersome, he said.<\/p>\n
In contrast, during the reign of president Soeharto between
\n1966 and 1998, power was centralized in his hands and the
\nmilitary was closely identified with the president, said Agus,
\nwhom many consider one of the military's leading intellectuals.<\/p>\n
\"During that era, government policy was rarely different from
\nmilitary policy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The government, based on the whims of Soeharto, deployed the
\nmilitary to quell separatist activities in Aceh, Irian Jaya and
\nEast Timor, he said.<\/p>\n
At that time, the public did not care about the process, all
\nthey cared about was the result, which was national security, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The chief drawback to this method was that there was little
\ncontrol of the president. With the president making virtually all
\nthe decisions, the system created generations of passive people
\nin Indonesia who are not responsive to national problems, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
When Soeharto resigned in 1998, the military option became
\nunpopular and even ridiculed, he said.<\/p>\n
Today, the emphasis is more on the process rather than the
\nresult, Agus said. \"In a process-oriented approach, we must be
\nprepared to see unexpected results.\"<\/p>\n
He cited the unexpected election of Abdurrahman as president
\nin October 1999 as an example of the outcome of the democratic
\nprocesses in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We are in a transition period, and many people still cannot
\ncope with that,\" he said. \"This is good for democracy, but we
\ncannot expect to get quick answers to our problems like in the
\npast.\"<\/p>\n
Agus admitted that TNI still felt more comfortable with the
\nold system because it was more effective and efficient, and
\ncarried less risk. \"But in a democracy we need process, and
\nprocess needs time.\" (02)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/democracy-may-not-yield-results-1447893297",
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