No political bickering, please<\/p>\n
Looking at the situation in our country at this moment makes
\nme very sad. What has become of the Indonesia we love so much and
\nfor which we are mentally and physically ready to sacrifice our
\nlives. Where are the happy Indonesians, full of love and
\nunderstanding, working together in the spirit of mutual help
\n(gotong royong) to create a prosperous Indonesia?<\/p>\n
What I see now are sad faces full of tears, because they have
\nlost their loved ones, killed by unknown persons; lost their
\nhouses, burned down by unknown gangs; and they have not enough to
\neat for themselves and their children.<\/p>\n
They don't know whether they will still be able to see the sun
\nrising tomorrow. Why all these tragedies?<\/p>\n
Is it because of the misinterpretation of democracy? Is it
\nbecause of the political bickering of the elite politicians? Is
\nit because of the misplaced ambitions? Is it because of the
\nunclear strategic direction of our state leadership?<\/p>\n
Are we suddenly becoming barbarians and following the law of
\nthe jungle? It seems that the impulsive answer to all these
\nproblems is to create new bodies in addition to the already
\nexisting ones.<\/p>\n
Corruption is rampant. A new corruption-fighting body has been
\ncreated with a well known retired Supreme Court judge as
\nchairman. The economy is stagnant. New bodies have been created;
\none is chaired by Prof. Emil Salim, another by Jusuf Wanandi.
\nWhen disappointment after disappointment about the state
\nleadership emerges, new bodies are created, like the one chaired
\nby Eros Djarot. A new baby, soon to be born, is fathered by an
\nhonorable social figure, Nurcholish Madjid. An ombudsman has been
\ncreated and perhaps many more will follow.<\/p>\n
Is this the answer to a splintered political atmosphere of
\nIndonesia? Or will this add to the existing problems. Not to
\nmention the existing nonpolitical organizations coming to life
\nonly intending to be moral pressure groups like Center for
\nInformation and Development Studies(CIDES), Center for Strategic
\nand International Studies (CSIS), Advisory Group in Economy,
\nIndustry and Trade (ECONIT), Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW),
\nand what not. God only knows.<\/p>\n
It is not because of the fact that I am a retired military
\nmember that I still think the only coherent, united force is the
\nmilitary. The Indonesian Military (TNI) has a clear line of
\ncommand, has discipline and a clear pattern of responsibility. I
\nknow that TNI has a bad political reputation, a heritage of the
\nNew Order, and I still feel that civilians harbor the fear that
\nthe TNI might make a comeback to the political arena. To calm the
\ncivilians' fear of a comeback, TNI has pledged that they will
\ncompletely leave the political arena and concentrate on becoming
\nprofessional soldiers in charge of the defense of Indonesia and
\nstop their role in domestic security which will be handled by the
\npolice.<\/p>\n
The political parties are trying to weaken TNI by disclosing
\nthe nonexistence of rival groups within the military, encouraging
\nthe growth of suspicion among the generals, exposing violations
\nof human rights by TNI and trying to interfere in the military's
\ninternal matters. Political parties propose that transfers and
\ntours of duty for generals should get the approval of the House
\nof Representatives.<\/p>\n
Please don't disturb the unity of TNI, because the military is
\neverybody's friend and has real patriots that can be relied upon
\nin time of crises to help. Lately, I read in a newspaper an
\nappeal for the political parties to stop bickering among
\nthemselves because this might create a reason for TNI to come
\nback. This appeal is good, because with it this bickering which
\nadds to the existing problems might end and I, as an ex-TNI
\nmember, feel we are still a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n
SOEGIH ARTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-political-bickering-please-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }