ABRI dual role no longer needed, observers say
JAKARTA (JP): A previous "national consensus" on the Armed Forces' (ABRI) representation at the House of Representatives (DPR) was obsolete and also in violation of the 1945 Constitution, political observers Marsilam Simanjuntak and Johannes Kristiadi said on Saturday.
"There is no article in the 1945 Constitution stipulating that ABRI is allocated seats in the House of Representatives," Marsilam told participants of a discussion on ABRI's dwifungsi (dual role). The talks were held by the Indonesian Moslem Students Movement and the Flow of Information Studies Institute.
"The Armed Forces presence in the House was a product of the then-unlawful Guided Democracy, established by founding president Sukarno in 1960," Marsilam said.
He said the second president, Soeharto, in the name of a consensus with political parties of the time, continued the policy on the grounds that the Armed Forces' representation in the House was needed to prevent its members from joining any leftist or rightist political parties.
"The consensus was obtained in an unequal condition because Soeharto stood at a higher position than the political parties, which were described as the representation of the Old Order administration of the first president, Sukarno," Marsilam said.
Kristiadi, a researcher with the Center for Strategic International Studies, reminded the public to monitor ABRI's commitment to its new role.
In August, Minister of Defence and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto announced ABRI's new outlook.
Wiranto had said, among others, that ABRI does not always have to be in the forefront. "ABRI can act as a partner who does not necessarily have to hold a key position but can still play an influential role."
If the public failed to monitor this commitment, Kristiadi said, it was possible that this would not be implemented.
Observers have expressed disappointment that the retainment of ABRI's seats in the House in the government's proposed bill of the legislature, though at 55 compared to the present 75 seats, failed to reflect ABRI's commitment to its new outlook.
Marsilam further said that such a dual role for the Armed Forces should only be implemented in an emergency situation, and was, thus, long obsolete.
Budget
The dual role should be revoked, he said, adding this was the same view of former Army chief of staff Gen. (ret) Abdul Haris Nasution in the late 1960s.
"Moreover, the decision of whether it is necessary to maintain the dual-role concept should rest completely on the people, not the Armed Forces itself," he added.
Marsilam, however, called on the nation's readiness to provide compensation for the Armed Forces' withdrawal from politics.
"ABRI's withdrawal from politics will need additional budget allotments for professional military exercises and salaries," he said.
ABRI's seats in the House have been part of the dual-role doctrine, which allows the military to assume both defense and political roles. Under the doctrine, ABRI members assume civilian administration posts, such as governors and regents besides legislators.
Kristiadi said that numerous basic rights violations by ABRI members also had a share in the Armed Forces' reduced credibility among people, and, simultaneously, its members' declining self- confidence while dealing with activities categorized as security disturbances.
"There is a trend among ABRI members that they are now reluctant to follow their superiors' orders," he said, giving the impression that they were being cautious for fear of being charged with violating human rights.
He cited the Armed Forces troops' slowness in handling the recent murder spree of alleged black magic practitioners in the East Java coastal town of Banyuwangi.
Kristiadi reiterated observers' view that ABRI members' assignment in the House violated the universal principles of democracy. While House members should act on behalf of their constituents, "Armed Forces legislators are bound to the military's line of command," he said
He said ABRI has deviated from its main function as the safeguard of the nation into the safeguard of the ruling government. "ABRI has become the instrument to protect the status quo," Kristiadi said. (imn)