Analysts at odds about ABRI seats and democracy
Analysts at odds about ABRI seats and democracy
By Santi WE Soekanto
JAKARTA (JP): As the House of Representatives deliberates on a bill to reduce the number of military appointees serving in the legislative body, political analysts are at odds on the significance of the move towards democracy.
J. Kristiadi of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the move doesn't necessarily signify the emergence of a more democratic political climate.
Kristiadi, who has been studying the role of the Armed Forces (ABRI) in society, said the move may only be a "symbolic" gesture for democratization.
Only by improving the procedures and implementation of general elections can the country have more democracy, he said.
Priyatmoko, a political scientist at the Airlangga University in Surabaya, also dismissed the argument that democracy would flourish once the bill is endorsed by the House.
"If we use that logic, then the fewer military representatives in the house, the greater the democracy is," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone yesterday.
Priyatmoko said the number of ABRI officers serving in the house has no real bearing on democracy. If ABRI is concerned with democracy, then it should not remain in coalition with Golkar, the dominant faction in the house, he added.
Fachry Ali of the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information, however, believes that the move would usher in greater democracy in Indonesia.
"Yes, it would mean a more democratic climate," Fachry said. "All this time, nobody could say anything about the ABRI position at the house. The proposal to reduce the military representatives signifies a new balance in the domestic political equation."
Fachry believed the new balance was brought about by various changes and shifting positions in the ruling elite.
He attributed the change, which he deemed favorable, to the leadership of ABRI Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono.
He said the two generals have become increasingly aware that the military should gradually take a backseat in politics and encourage civilians to take over social political leadership.
Interviewed separately, the experts were commenting on the government-sponsored bill to cut the representation of ABRI in the house from 100 to 75. Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. has said that one rationale behind the bill was to provide more room for the establishment of a "government of the people".
The bill, meant to be a revision of a 1969 Law on the Structure and Composition of the House of Representatives and, consequently, of greater political procedures, has not been received with enthusiasm by the two minority parties in the house.
The United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party believe the bill, if passed, would not bring significant political changes.
The two parties demanded a more comprehensive improvement, including in the procedures and implementation of general elections.
Kristiadi agreed with the criticism, and suggested that the government involve independent elements, such as non-governmental organizations, to supervise the holding of the elections.
He said Golkar, with its victories in the past five general elections, should be confident enough to be supervised by more independent bodies.
This practice, he said, would ensure greater democracy than merely reducing the number of military seats in the house.
Priyatmoko believes the appointed military representatives in the house should be entrusted with the task of protecting "the minority from the domination of majority" and the fair contest of the general elections.
"Reduced numbers notwithstanding, the appointed military personnel in the house should protect the minority representation," Priyatmoko said. The government proposal to reduce the military seats, he said, should be looked at as an opportunity for "self-correction".
Fachry said that with the greater number of parties seeking positions in the political elite, including Moslems grouped in the influential Indonesian Association of Moslem Intellectuals, a shift in power occurs.
"This shift in the elite political composition encourages a search for new balances," he said. "The reduction of ABRI personnel in the house signifies this search."