Military must quit political arena: Observer<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will never become a democratic country
\nunless the Armed Forces (ABRI) withdraws from the national
\npolitical stage, an outspoken retired general said.<\/p>\n
\"ABRI's pullout from politics is an absolute requirement for
\ndemocracy. Indonesia will become democratic only if the military
\npulls out of politics,\" retired Lt. Gen. Hasnan Habib said in a
\ndiscussion on political laws organized by Antara news agency here
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
The discussion, attended by political parties, political
\nobservers and legislators, focused on a fair and free general
\nelection and the allotment of 38 nonelected seats for the Armed
\nForces in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
According to the new political laws, ABRI will receive 38
\nseats in the House and 10 percent of elected seats in provincial
\nand regency legislatures.<\/p>\n
ABRI has been the target of fierce criticism over its
\nperformance and its role in social and political affairs.<\/p>\n
Hasnan said that ABRI should no longer be represented in the
\nHouse because seats should be reserved for legislators elected
\nthrough the general election as stipulated in the 1945
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
He said that although the House finally agreed on 38 seats for
\nABRI, no more seats should be given to ABRI after the next House
\nends its session in 2004.<\/p>\n
He also said that no matter how strong the reform movement
\nappeared to be, it was not powerful enough to phase out the
\nmilitary's presence in the House. \"The evidence can be seen in
\nthe new Law No. 4\/1999 granting 38 seats to ABRI,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that military officers should no longer be given jobs
\nin the government and bureaucracy unless they \"took off their
\nuniforms\".<\/p>\n
\"Democracy cannot develop here partly because many positions
\nin the administration, such as governors, regents, mayors,
\nministers and other jobs in governmental agencies and
\ndepartments, are still dominated by the military,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hasnan, also a former envoy to the United States of America,
\nsaid that Indonesia had long been seen by the international
\ncommunity as being under a military regime.<\/p>\n
\"That is why many democratic countries have criticized the
\npoor development of democracy in Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Transition<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, another speaker, Eep Saefulloh Fatah, said that
\ngiven the hurried preparations for the upcoming poll, the public
\nshould not expect too much from the government which would be
\nformed after the elections.<\/p>\n
The new government will function as a transitional government
\nin charge of developing policies during its five-year term, the
\npolitical observer from the University of Indonesia said.<\/p>\n
He said the next House should make new political laws because
\nthe newly endorsed ones were illegitimate, unaccountable and not
\nrepresentative.<\/p>\n
\"The political laws are unaccountable because they were made
\nin a hasty manner; illegitimate because they were made by an
\nillegitimate government and legislators; and not representative
\nbecause new political parties were not involved in their
\ndeliberation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Eep, a researcher at the Republika daily, asserted that the
\nnext government would not receive wide public acceptance, citing
\nthe possibility of fraud in the upcoming elections, among other
\nthings.<\/p>\n
However, a legislator with the United Development Party,
\nAisyah Amini, who heads the House commission on defense and
\nsecurity, rejected the idea that the next government would be
\n\"transitional\".<\/p>\n
Despite shortcomings, the next government will be a legitimate
\ngovernment because it will be chosen through free and fair
\nelections, she said.<\/p>\n
Eep agreed with other speakers, saying ABRI's continued
\npresence in politics hampered the development of democracy in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"I believe democracy will grow if ABRI stays out of
\npolitics,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that ABRI should not be represented in the House or
\nprovincial and regency legislatures. \"If they want they can have
\ntheir representatives in the MPR (People's Consultative
\nAssembly),\" he said.<\/p>\n
Aisyah said it was impossible for ABRI to be democratic
\nbecause its members were forced to obey commands.<\/p>\n
Aisyah pointed out that the United Development Party was the
\nonly House faction which opposed the military's presence in the
\nHouse and provincial and regency legislatures.<\/p>\n
\"It's strange to think that ABRI legislators can represent the
\npeople while the Constitution says that all legislators are
\nelected, not appointed, through general elections,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The discussion was attended by representatives of some of the
\nnewly formed political parties, including the Masyumi Baru Party,
\nthe National Mandate Party and the Indonesian Democratic Alliance
\nParty. Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party were also
\nrepresented at the discussion.<\/p>\n
Speakers said that ABRI should be able to maintain security
\nand end all forms of violence ahead of the general election
\nscheduled for June 7.<\/p>\n
They said political and economic conditions in the country
\nwould deteriorate if the elections were not a success. (rms)<\/p>",
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