A preference for Moslems in military leadership?

A preference for Moslems in military leadership?

Rumors have been making their rounds that the military leadership these days is being consciously geared for filling with those of Moslem background. Noted political scientist Amir Santoso argues that these rumors are totally baseless.

JAKARTA (JP): The appointment of Lt. Gen. Hartono as Army chief this week has raised questions as to why the President and the Armed Forces (ABRI) commander have chosen him?

The first answer is that Hartono must be considered as a candidate who is administratively fit for the position. His colleague at the same rank, Lt. Gen. H.B.L. Mantiri, is at the age of retirement.

Secondly, Hartono's experience is considered completely competent to do the job. He started his career as a local Army commander in Cirebon. He was then promoted to army regiment commander in Bengkulu, and later to the post of regional army commander in East Java.

After that he was appointed Commander of the Army College of Staff and Command in Bandung, then as Governor of the Institute of National Defense before he became Head of ABRI's Social and Political Affairs. In terms of education, Hartono is equally impressive. He graduated from the Fort Leavenworth military college in the United States and also from the Institute of National Defense.

Third, there must be political reasons. President Soeharto, like many other government leaders, would naturally choose someone whom he believed has the ability to do the job and is loyal to him. I think, it would be very strange if the President chose someone whose loyalty and capability were in question.

The ABRI Commander, Gen. Feisal Tanjung, also has his criteria for proposing Hartono. The commander needs someone who can translate his instructions properly. He clearly believes that Hartono is capable of doing so.

But still another question: Why then is a Moslem officer like Hartono chosen? Some have asked me whether ABRI is undergoing an "Islamization" process. The local term for this is the "Santrinization of ABRI". The word "santri" refers to Moslem scholars.

These questions have been raised due to the fact that Feisal Tanjung, Hartono and many other officers now in the military leadership are Moslems. Hartono's close ties with the ICMI Moslem intellectuals organization adds fuel to this suspicion.

However, in my opinion what is happening in ABRI is not an Islamization process. A parallel can be made to what happened during the leadership period of Gen. (ret.) Benny Moerdani, which in my opinion cannot be considered as a period of "Christianization process" in ABRI.

Of course, it is a fact that ABRI now seems to be more tolerant toward Moslem groups and more understanding about Islamic politics several decades after a traumatic experience with the Moslems. In the early years of the nation, some Moslem groups in West Java and South Sulawesi were involved in the rebellion of Darul Islam and Tentara Islam Indonesia. Later, some fanatic Moslems personally took stances against the government. This situation persisted up to the 1960s and ABRI has always managed to subdue them.

The close relations of ABRI to Moslem groups today does not necessarily change ABRI's basic ideology. ABRI members still consider themselves as "Indonesian National Soldiers" (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI) and not "Indonesian Islamic Soldiers". Their ideology is still Pancasila, their pledges are the "Sapta Marga and the "Sumpah Prajurit" proclaiming that they are patriots of Indonesia, without undue bias toward any religious or ethnic group. They also take a pledge of loyalty toward the 1945 Constitution and swear to maintain it. Thus, if there is a Moslem group trying to destabilize Indonesia, for example, ABRI, I believe, will move to overcome them. My discussions with many Moslem officers have led me to take this stance.

The issue of "santrinization" is fueled by rumors that many important positions will be occupied by Moslem officers. Of course, Gen. Feisal and Gen. Hartono will naturally and culturally be closer to their fellow Moslem officers just like a non-Moslem commander would naturally and culturally be closer to non-Moslem colleagues.

Hence, the tours of duty in the Army following the appointment of Hartono cannot be seen as a part of an Islamization process. If some Moslem officers are promoted into important positions, their appointments are still made on the basis of the existing merit system and not because they are Moslems.

It is, therefore, clear that non-Moslem officers will also be appointed. In fact, I have heard that in a few days, Gen. F.X. Sudjasmin, a Catholic, will become a deputy chief of the Army. Some regional commanders at the moment are also non-Moslem generals. Thus, what is happening today in ABRI is similar to what happened during the previous period. Capability and professionalism are still the two main criteria for promotion among ABRI ranks, not other motives.

The writer is a lecturer of political science at the University of Indonesia and at the Graduate Study Program of Jayabaya University.