Military should listen to bill critics: Minister<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
In an apparent attempt to end the prolonged debate on the
\ncontroversial military bill, Coordinating Minister for Political
\nand Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) on Thursday to listen to criticism of the bill.<\/p>\n
Underlining the utmost importance of laws governing the
\nmilitary's role, the top security minister said the bill must not
\ngive any chance for TNI commanders to abuse their powers.<\/p>\n
\"The bill must stipulate fixed criteria on an emergency
\nsituation that allows the military leadership to deploy personnel
\nand that the mobilization is not aimed at toppling an elected
\ngovernment,\" he said after attending a cabinet meeting presided
\nover by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Susilo was referring to Article 19 of the bill, allowing the
\nTNI to mobilize soldiers in an emergency without the approval of
\nthe president. The most controversial article has sparked strong
\ncriticism from numerous sides who say it could be abused to
\nlaunch a coup against a legitimate government and jeopardize the
\ndemocracy the nation was trying to develop.<\/p>\n
\"Both the TNI and its critics should listen to each other
\nduring deliberations of the bill, so it will not create
\nmisinterpretations,\" the minister said.<\/p>\n
Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil has promised to review
\nthe draft law before it is submitted to the House of
\nRepresentatives, but Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu rejected
\nthe views of the critics, saying they disliked the military.<\/p>\n
Analysts believe the article is against the 1945 Constitution
\nthat appointed the president as the supreme commander of the
\nmilitary force. They said that according to Law No. 3\/2002 on
\nstate defense, only the president had the authority to deploy
\nmilitary personnel both at home and overseas (for peace
\nmissions).<\/p>\n
Susilo further stressed that the TNI should bear in mind that
\nit was part of state apparatus and besides, there was a
\ntriumvirate consisting of the defense minister, foreign minister
\nand home minister to take decisions in an emergency if the
\npresident was out of reach.<\/p>\n
That was why the criteria for the emergency situation and what
\naction could be taken by the military leadership should be
\ninserted in the bill, he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, a political observer from the
\nIndonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) concurred and said that
\nthe TNI had to listen to public opinion on the bill.<\/p>\n
\"The military must be given authority to handle state security
\nbut it should not create political problems in the future,\" he
\nsaid during a discussion on 68H news radio on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Ikrar said that article 19 of the bill must be changed as it
\ncould be interpreted in many ways and opened the chance for the
\nTNI to abuse its authority.<\/p>\n
Isaac Latuconsina, deputy chairman of the House's Commission I
\non defense and security, shared Ikrar's view, saying \"all
\ncontentious articles could be reviewed during its deliberation by
\nthe legislative body.\"<\/p>",
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