Academic says ABRI must formulate its political role

SEMARANG (JP): As the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) celebrates its anniversary today, observers suggested yesterday that it formulate a new format for its role in the sociopolitical field.

M.T. Arifin, a lecturer at the Muhammadiyah University in Surakarta, said ABRI's credibility in the coming years will greatly depend on how it can adapt its infrastructure to help develop a more democratic political climate.

This is a process, said Arifin, which must be conducted through dialogs.

He cited a difficulty in bridging two demands of society: one is for an effective and efficient administration, the other is for greater political participation of the people.

In order to reconcile the two, ABRI needs a "strong willingness to transform its commando style of leadership into something more democratic," said Arifin.

He added that ABRI must realize that it needs to foster a relationship with the general public the same way "a fish needs water".

The Indonesian Armed Forces formally plays a dual role. The first is as the nation's first line of defense, the second is a sociopolitical role.

Arifin warned that reform and change could have destabilizing consequences. For this reason, he urged that it be done through a strengthening of the political, economic and social structures of the system.

"A sociopolitical agenda needs the cooperation of both ABRI and the people," he said.

In the end, Arifin remarked, ABRI will need the acknowledgement of the people, and that acknowledgement will stem from how well ABRI is able to widen the scope of political participation among the people.

"If they can do that, there will be no doubt that people will recognize ABRI as a source of inspiration and change of sociopolitical life now and in the future," he said.

Separately, retired Maj. Gen. Z.A. Maulani said that one of the major challenges facing ABRI is how to support law enforcement, to be a catalyst of economic development, and to build a political format conducive to democratic values.

He said ABRI, in its standing, has the capacity to truly listen and channel the aspirations of the people.

"With all that, ABRI should be able to show that it is useful to the people. What's certain is that people's support will only be equal to how much they feel ABRI is beneficial to them," said Maulani, who lectures at the National Defense Institute. (har/mds)