ABRI at a crossroads

ABRI at a crossroads

One of the institutions worst hit by the current crisis of
confidence is the Armed Forces (ABRI). This institution, which
under the New Order regime exercised the real power in this
country, is now hobbled. Like a hero in a Chinese kung fu tale,
crippled by a blow to his main artery, its eyes are angrily
watching but its energy is sapped.

ABRI, which was in the past uncompromising in its insistence
that the country's stability, unity and cohesion be preserved at
any cost, is now itself drenched in uncertainty, not to say
confusion. ABRI appears to be carrying a weight so heavy it is
staggering under the burden. One after another, ABRI's sins are
being revealed and this places it in a defensive position.

As people regain confidence in their own critical skills and
uncover so many past sins, ABRI finds itself unable to escape the
denunciations that are being cast in its direction. ABRI's
biggest mistake, as admitted by its chief of staff of
sociopolitical affairs, Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was to
aspire to assume responsibility over an unlimited scope of
affairs.

As we see it, though, this was not so much a mistake as a
logical consequence of its own dual function doctrine. By
calculatedly assuming a sociopolitical function, ABRI could not
avoid getting itself involved in political sins. The existence of
mass graves in Aceh and the abduction of political activists, for
example, are in actuality the consequences not of (ABRI's)
security role, but its sociopolitical one. The same is true of
the Tanjung Priok affair, a long-buried grievance now revived in
increasingly frequent protest demonstrations.

Democratization has become the spirit of the times and can no
longer be resisted. Willingly or otherwise, each and every
institution in existence is compelled to redefine its role in
society. This includes ABRI. Whatever internal reforms ABRI will
be introducing, its sociopolitical role should be drastically
reduced. The burden of sins which ABRI has to carry at present is
a consequence of its own commitment to a sociopolitical role. It
has no one else to blame.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta