Pushing the military to the wall imprudent policy<\/p>\n
Ardimas Sasdi, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Berkeley, California
\najambak@uclink4.berkeley.edu<\/p>\n
A statement from Indonesia Military (TNI) Chief Gen.
\nEndriartono Sutarto on Monday that the military would withdraw
\nfrom its traditional murky business of guarding mining sites in
\nthe country showed nothing, but the military has been pushed to
\nthe limit by negative news portraying it as a mercenary force and
\nhas no other choice but to defend itself.<\/p>\n
In the remark, which is likely to rattle the confidence of
\ninvestors in an already gloomy investment climate, Endriartono
\nsaid he would pull troops out of vital projects in areas across
\nthe country, including out of PT Freeport Indonesia (FI) copper
\nand gold mine in Papua, but stopped short on when the pullout
\nwould begin.<\/p>\n
Endriartono said that security duties there were "not part of
\nour main tasks" and in future the mining firms would be
\nresponsible for security in their operational areas as the
\nmilitary "do not wish to become a scapegoat should something
\nhappen to the companies".<\/p>\n
The remark of the general, who always appears coolheaded in
\nanswering straight forward questions from journalists, led us to
\na conclusion that the military can no longer take the cynicism
\ndirected against his institution over human rights abuses from
\ndomestic and foreign parties, including the latest move by U.S.
\ncongressmen linking the military with the Timika incident in
\nAugust last year. And it has nothing to do with a plan by the
\nmilitary to quit the "protection" racket business as part of a
\nprogram to rid itself of diversified businesses, which includes
\nreal estate, transportation and logging.<\/p>\n
Tough talking Army Chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said on
\nTuesday that he was ready to withdraw his troops guarding mining
\nprojects in the country, mostly operated by foreign companies,
\nbut he has yet to receive a written order from TNI headquarters.<\/p>\n
Military troops have been guarding vital projects since the
\nSoeharto era and were believed to have received money for the
\n"protection" services. But the problem of the payment money
\nexploded in 2002 when Freeport, one of whose directors is former
\nU.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, inserted the spending in
\na formal document, which upset its shareholders, some of whom are
\nmembers of a teachers' union. And the TNI acknowledged that some
\n1,800 troops are being stationed at 12 mining sites across the
\ncountry, but the actual figure is likely to be much higher.<\/p>\n
Foreign and local media reported earlier this year that PT FI,
\na subsidiary of the Texas based Freeport McMoran, spent US$5.6
\nmillion on the security of its employees and mining sites in
\nPapua in 2002. The reports said the money was disbursed to pay
\nfor TNI soldiers' lodgings, fuel, travel and military vehicle
\nrepairs. Some $400,000 of the amount was used to build support
\nfacilities. FI said it spent $4.7 million in 2001 on payments for
\nthe services of 2,300 security personnel.<\/p>\n
Since the formal separation of the police force from the
\nmilitary based on Law No. 3\/2002 on state defense, internal
\nsecurity affairs, including duties to guard vital installations,
\nis the responsibility of the police. But with around 200,000
\npersonnel the police, already stretched thin to cover all areas
\nin the country, simply do not have enough manpower to do the job.
\nA sudden withdrawal of military soldiers from the mining areas
\nwill cause worry among mining firms as it will create security
\nproblems, especially in Papua where there is a low-level rebel
\nmovement and in strife-torn Aceh province.<\/p>\n
The U.S. government has maintained an embargo on export of
\nweapons and spare parts to Indonesia for rights abuses in East
\nTimor in 1999. Washington, under pressure from members of the
\nCongress and Senate, has also withheld assistance to TNI for
\nmilitary training unless it cooperates fully with the Federal
\nBureau of Investigation (FBI) in a probe into an ambush by armed
\nmen that killed two Americans and one Indonesian at the Freeport
\nmining site in Timika in August last year.<\/p>\n
The military denies involvement in the incident.<\/p>\n
The following are steps Indonesia and the U.S. can take
\nagainst the TNI if it refuses to cooperate in the probe. First,
\ncontinue the Timika investigation with or without TNI cooperation
\nand impose sanctions against the institution if there is strong
\nevidence that soldiers were involved in the incident. However,
\nthis move is quite risky judging from the tough stance of the
\nmilitary on the case. Second, earmark enough funding to the TNI
\nand raise salaries of soldiers so that in the future the
\ninstitution does not take illicit funding from other sources,
\nwhich will at last erode its loyalty to the state. Third, design
\na "face saving" scheme to appease the anger of the U.S senators
\nwithout further irritating TNI leaders.<\/p>\n
The statement of Gen. Ryamizard as quoted by Detikcom
\nnewsportal on Tuesday that foreign forces and their agents were
\nworking to create instability in Indonesia is a move by the
\nmilitary to turn this case into an issue of nationalism. The
\nmilitary is an expert in this strategy. So for the time being it
\nseems there is no workable alternative on luring the military to
\ncooperate in the Timika case, but to stop pushing the military to
\nthe wall as the repercussions are very big for the country at
\nthis juncture, especially with instability in some areas and
\nelections in 2004.<\/p>\n
The writer is a visiting scholar at the Graduate School of
\nJournalism at the University of California, Berkeley.<\/p>",
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