Kill the security bill<\/p>\n
Now you see it, now you do not. The draconian bill on national
\nsecurity, endorsed by the previous House of Representatives in
\nOctober, is making a comeback. Like a peekaboo game, the bill,
\nknown by its Indonesian acronym PKB (Penanggulangan Keadaan
\nBahaya, or Emergency Situation Containment), is back in the
\nforefront of the national political agenda, thanks to House
\nSpeaker Akbar Tandjung. Except this Pee-Ka-Bee is no laughing
\nmatter.<\/p>\n
For reasons as yet unknown, Akbar is pressuring President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid to sign the bill into law. One thing we do know
\nis that the bill would give the military a virtual free rein over
\nthe country, or a particular region, in times of emergency. And
\nwe also know that the definition of emergency is so vague as to
\nbe open to interpretation. Signing the bill into law would
\nrestore a lot of the powers the President has stripped from the
\nmilitary over these last five months. It would be political
\nsuicide for Abdurrahman, and sound the death knell for democracy.<\/p>\n
The bill was drafted by the Ministry of Defense, which at the
\ntime was led by Gen. Wiranto, whom the President ousted from the
\npost of coordinating minister for political affairs and security
\nin February. Akbar's Golkar Party and the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI), which together controlled the last House, secured a swift
\npassage for the bill, ignoring overwhelming public opposition.<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, the bill was approved in October with minor
\nchanges. The only significant change was to the title, and the
\nbill's articles were just as repressive as the 1963 subversion
\nlaw it sought to replace. The bill fooled no one but the as-yet
\nunreformed House. Outside the House, protesters clashed with
\nsecurity forces deployed to safeguard legislators deliberating
\nthe bill. At least four protesters were killed and dozens more
\ninjured in these clashes.<\/p>\n
The nation has barely recovered from that traumatic
\nexperience, and now the House speaker is trying to convince
\nPresident Abdurrahman to sign the bill into law. His argument
\nthat the military has no legal tools to operate in emergency
\nsituations rings hollow. His warning that failing to sign the
\nbill into law would mean reactivating the old 1963 subversion law
\nsounds like a threat.<\/p>\n
Rather than using empty rhetoric and threats, Akbar should
\nshare with the rest of us the likely threats to national security
\nthat make this security bill necessary, if any exist. Better
\nstill, he should share with us his real motive for reintroducing
\nthe bill to the national agenda. Even the TNI's current
\nleadership, who have the most interest in having this bill
\nenacted into law, has remained silent. If Akbar is not speaking
\nfor the people or, as it seems, for the present military
\nleadership, then who is he speaking on behalf of? One can only
\nspeculate.<\/p>\n
We have no reason to fear that President Abdurrahman will
\nsuccumb to Akbar's demand. Abdurrahman, of all people, knows the
\nsecurity bill runs counter to his own democratic principles.
\nAfter all, Abdurrahman has almost single-handedly cut the once
\npowerful military down to size in the short time he has been in
\noffice. He is not likely to sign the bill when even his
\nunreformist predecessor, B.J. Habibie, could not bring himself to
\nsign it, notwithstanding pressure from Wiranto.<\/p>\n
Now that Akbar has put the bill back on the national political
\nagenda, reformist factions in the House should seize the
\nopportunity to kill the legislation once and for all. Any future
\nbills dealing with emergency situations must be introduced
\nthrough the initiative of civilians. The people of this country
\nwere trampled on by the military for more than 32 years, and do
\nnot wish to repeat the experience. The ball is not in the
\nPresident's hands. It is actually back in the House's court.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kill-the-security-bill-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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