Is TNI always to blame?<\/p>\n
I was pleasantly surprised when I read a letter written by
\nIrine Dewi Kurniati called TNI in the eyes of a layman in The
\nJakarta Post on Jan. 5, 2000. To me it was like drinking ice-cold
\nCoca-Cola on a hot windless day.<\/p>\n
The way she expressed her feelings was so sweet by saying when
\nthere is a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) around she
\nfeels safe and secure. She guaranteed that she was telling the
\ntruth and nothing but the truth and on her own free will. Another
\nexpression of sympathy because of seeing the reality is stated by
\na retired Army man called Zainal Soepomo and a lady by the name
\nof Cecilia. Both are neutral and are sad because the public is
\nbiased. They both expressed their opinions in the Rakyat Merdeka
\ndaily's Jan. 12, 2000 edition.<\/p>\n
Compare her expression with what Dr. Muhammad Mahfud said in
\nhis hate for TNI: \"In other countries, the state creates the
\nArmed Forces, but in Indonesia the Armed Forces create the
\nstate\".<\/p>\n
Perhaps he is referring to an article from the Southeast Asian
\nJournal of Social Sciences Vol. 15, No. 1\/1987, which noted: \"The
\nnewly organized government was reluctant to raise an Army,
\nbecause it wanted to achieve independence peacefully\". But there
\nwas nothing said about the Army creating a state.<\/p>\n
Dr. Nasikun is more extreme and contrary to what was expressed
\nby Irine. He said that people don't feel protected by the
\npresence of the Indonesian Military.<\/p>\n
TNI is looked down upon by the people, a feeling I think is
\ninspired by certain politicians who feel their future and role in
\nIndonesia threatened by the efficient and well-organized TNI.<\/p>\n
It cannot be denied that some members of TNI have overacted
\nand committed unforgivable atrocities which are to be regretted,
\nbut the people should not blame all of TNI and the National
\nPolice for being bad and disregarding humanity.<\/p>\n
Another thing which people should consider is the situation at
\nthe particular time which perhaps forced TNI and the National
\nPolice to overact and show no mercy. It is perhaps a situation
\nwhere there was no choice, a you-or-me or a lose-lose situation.<\/p>\n
If people are honest they will accept the fact that
\nindividuals of non-TNI organizations have also violated human
\nrights but the media sometimes closes their eyes, instead of
\nreporting facts, taking a neutral objective position and being
\nirrespective of who committed it.<\/p>\n
I have the impression that only TNI can violate human rights
\nbut not the rebels that are in places such as Aceh or other parts
\nof Indonesia, who kidnap and kill TNI members and innocent
\npeople. But the attention is only directed to violations by TNI
\nand the National Police.<\/p>\n
On top of all this, statements made by high-ranking officers,
\nlike the one made recently by the commander of the Army Strategic
\nReserves Command (Kostrad), that the invitation to generals by
\nthe commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM)
\nhurt the soldiers' feelings. It gives the impression that our TNI
\nsoldiers are barbarians and people who hate TNI find moral
\nsupport in this statement.<\/p>\n
The essence is that members of TNI, like any other
\ninstitution, make mistakes but that does not mean that the
\ninstitution itself is bad. I hope that the letter from
\nIrine will give some material for a rethinking in the appraisal
\nof TNI. The community should help TNI to find it's real
\npersonality for the benefit of Indonesians.<\/p>\n
SOEGIH ARTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/is-tni-always-to-blame-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }