The new underdog: The TNI<\/p>\n
By Dewi Anggraeni<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE (JP): Since discussing the future of Indonesia
\nwithout focussing on the role of the military would be a futile
\nexercise, the \"Rethinking Indonesia\" conference last weekend in
\nMelbourne, took a serious look at the issue.<\/p>\n
Under the New Order government, power was very much weighted
\nagainst the civilian sector and in favor of the military. Now, in
\nthe brief period since coming into power, President Abdurrahman
\nWahid already has made inroads into reclaiming the balance for
\ncivilians. At least that is how it appears.<\/p>\n
Under Soeharto the military, then known as ABRI, presented a
\nunited front. Even though factions developed under former
\npresident B.J. Habibie, Damien Kingsbury of Monash Asia Institute
\nsuggests the military remained strong.<\/p>\n
Kingsbury gave as illustration its actions in East Timor
\nagainst the explicit wishes of Habibie. However, under
\nAbdurrahman this strength has been significantly reduced and the
\nmilitary (now TNI) is unable, even, to wear a united front.<\/p>\n
Kingsbury has observed several factions emerging, one of those
\nbeing still loyal to former TNI commander Gen. Wiranto. And a
\ncounter faction, consolidating under the patronage of
\nAbdurrahman. A significant group which Kingsbury considers as
\n\"reformist\" is led by Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah. Its primary
\ntask being to end TNI's \"territorial\" function. A smaller faction
\nremains loyal to Prabowo, the former commander of the army's
\nspecial forces.<\/p>\n
The success of the reformist group, Kingsbury theorizes, will
\nvery much depend on the success of Abdurrahman's presidency -- a
\nrisky symbiotic relationship.<\/p>\n
If the president can negotiate peaceful settlements to the
\ncivil unrest in various areas of the country, the \"reformist\"
\ngroup will have a better chance of success.<\/p>\n
If Abdurrahman fails, both he and this TNI faction will lose a
\ngreat deal of credibility, and the path towards democracy will be
\neven rockier.<\/p>\n
The extent of the military's new weakening is unclear. The
\nmilitary in Indonesia is an institution inseparable from the
\ncountry's politics.<\/p>\n
Munir, from the Legal Aid Institute, told the conference, that
\nsince 1966 the armed forces have instituted a military structure
\nin Indonesian society, making it ingrained and extremely
\ndifficult to uproot. The country has a military officer holding
\nan important position in every level of government.<\/p>\n
In a separate interview with The Jakarta Post, Munir admitted
\nthat the ubiquity of the military was a serious problem, but he
\ndoes not see the military's power as an insurmountable obstacle
\nin achieving democracy.<\/p>\n
The biggest stumbling block, in his opinion, is the military's
\ndomination over national politics.<\/p>\n
The military still influences the thinking of the public, and
\nthis creates an influence against the democratic process being
\npushed by reformist elements in society.<\/p>\n
\"This is a new strength that TNI has gained,\" Munir said, \"TNI
\nno longer needs to rely on physical power, because they now
\npossess power similar to that of a political party, with a
\nsignificant base.<\/p>\n
\"They use this to contain, even counter, the social forces
\nattacking them. Now they no longer have to fight alone, those who
\nare pushing for their return to the barracks,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"They have even created a new vocabulary as protective
\npadding. For instance, the word 'to condemn' (menghujat) is now
\nused to describe any action opposing them.\"<\/p>\n
\"Any members of TNI who are criticized for violations of human
\nrights have now gained the title of the 'underdog' or the
\n'downtrodden'. So there is a strong message that society at
\npresent is victimizing the military. This insinuation has been
\nmade so insidious that many in civil society become emotionally
\ntrapped in it.\"<\/p>\n
The military has also established a concept, according to
\nMunir, that they are an important element of society, so if they
\nare weakened, the society will be adversely affected, because
\nsecurity is no longer guaranteed.<\/p>\n
Another sensitive aspect being exploited is religion. military
\nmembers try to attach themselves to Islam, to the extent that
\nsome people believe that attacking the military is tantamount to
\nattacking Islam. This is a very powerful tool in influencing the
\ncivilian community.<\/p>\n
Munir suspects that no more than 5 percent of the population
\nbelieve this. \"However, they are a high-profile minority who can
\nmanipulate the wider community by 'tailoring' information they
\nrelease. Those in the community receiving the information,
\nwithout the capacity for critical analysis, tend to take it at
\nface value.<\/p>\n
\"Examples are the people defending Wiranto against the
\nCommission Investigating Violations of Human Rights (KPP HAM),
\ncharging him with human rights violations in East Timor. They
\nwere no more than 20. Yet they were given generous coverage by
\nthe media and they used it well. Viewers with no mechanism to
\nvalidate the information got the impression that the 20 people
\nspoke the truth, that there was a conspiracy against Muslim
\ngenerals.\"<\/p>\n
Despite all this, Munir is optimistic that groups working to
\nkeep the military from returning to full political power are
\nfairly strong in society. In addition, there is the international
\nelement, who will not let that happen. In fact, this element,
\nobserved Munir, played a very important role in the real politik
\nof 1998, compared to that played by internal forces.<\/p>\n
Since then, the drive for change in the country has gathered
\nstrength and speed, and is no longer a force the military can
\ntake lightly.<\/p>\n
Hope abounds, and expectations that Abdurrahman's ability to
\nharness the military's power for more appropriate use, are also
\nhigh. The light at the end of the tunnel may be visible, but the
\ndistance is still great.<\/p>\n
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Melbourne.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-new-underdog-the-tni-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }