Academic says ABRI must formulate its political role

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)