Military's role still haunts public: Research<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite the growing democracy over the last six years, the people
\nstill harbor deep concerns over the role of the military in
\npublic life, which they say has spurred the prevalence of
\nviolence, a study has found.<\/p>\n
In the preliminary report of a study presented on Thursday by
\nhuman rights watchdog Demos, 83.3 percent of respondents said the
\nIndonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police were not
\naccountable enough to the civilian government and the greater
\npublic.<\/p>\n
The study also found that 88.9 percent of respondents were of
\nthe opinion that the government was susceptible to outside
\ninterference from paramilitary units, militias and groups of
\nthugs, all of which they claimed were linked to elements in the
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
\"As a result, 75.5 percent of respondents said they were
\nvulnerable to violence,\" it said.<\/p>\n
The study interviewed 400 respondents consisting of non-
\ngovernmental organization (NGO) activists, members of political
\nparties and other politically conscious community figures across
\nthe country's 32 provinces as part of an ongoing project to gauge
\nthe extent of democratic development.<\/p>\n
The study also found that the concept of security was \"still
\ndefined as a state- or territorial security that takes precedence
\nover human security, which covers universal human rights,\" the
\nreport said.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives recently endorsed the
\ncontroversial military bill, which it said would help transform
\nthe TNI into a professional military. However, the enacted bill
\ndid not address the abolition of the TNI's territorial role.<\/p>\n
Asmara Nababan of Demos said no significant changes had been
\nmade in the relationship between the TNI and the civilian
\ngovernment, as the political stage was still dominated by the
\npolitical elite, who were reluctant to implement sweeping
\nreforms.<\/p>\n
\"Instead, those from the old regimes, including the military,
\nwere able to secure strategic positions in government without
\ncounterbalancing measures from the pro-democracy movement,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Asmara said as the existing political system could not
\ndiminish the role of the military overnight, the public needed to
\nbe given a role in the decision-making process on the use of
\nmilitary force.<\/p>\n
\"People must be involved in the decision-making process at all
\nlevels. Such a role must be played the whole time, not just once
\nevery five years,\" Asmara said, referring to the span of time
\nuntil the next election year.<\/p>\n
He said the people should be consulted at every step during
\nthe decision-making process.<\/p>\n
Analyst Andi Widjajanto of the University of Indonesia
\nconcurred with Asmara and said the civilian government must
\nimpose intricate procedures on the use of the military force.<\/p>\n
\"Such procedures would obstruct the arbitrary use of military
\nforce,\" he said, adding that they would also prevent the military
\nfrom accumulating greater power.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/militarys-role-still-haunts-public-research-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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