Analysts cautious over military's role in security

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite support for the proposed review of the tasks and authority given to the military and police in the amended 1945 Constitution, political analysts remained cautious about the military's domestic security role, saying it should be under civilian leadership.

Daniel Sparringa of Airlangga University in Surabaya and Yahya Muhaimin from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta called on all sides not to oversimplify the terminologies "defense" and "security" stipulated by the Constitution.

Both were of the same opinion that the military's tasks should not be limited only to defense of the country from outside threats, because there were certain problems like armed conflicts and security disturbances that could not be handled by the police and thus should be entrusted to the military.

Sparringa and Yahwa was commenting on the White Paper recently published by the Ministry of Defense outlining a long-term policy that included an active role in domestic security matters for the military as well as defending the military's territorial function -- wherein it maintains active posts throughout the country all the way down to the village level.

"In several countries including Malaysia and the U.S., what are called "national security matters" including large riots and separatist movements are jointly handled by the military and the police. However, the decision to use arms and deploy military forces in handling such problems are determined by the civilian government," Sparringa, adding that the deployment of military personnel could be implemented with the declaration of a state of emergency.

MPR Decree No. 6/2000 stipulates that both the Indonesian Military (TNI) comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force, and the National Police are separate entities while MPR Decree No. 7/2000 regulates that the TNI's main function is defense from outside threats and the National Police is in charge of domestic security matters.

Pressure has been mounting for a review of the two decrees following the police's perceived failure, to some extent, in dealing with the armed conflicts in Aceh, Papua, Central Sulawesi and Maluku over the last three years.

The armed conflicts in those provinces have not yet been completely resolved, indeed the government is reportedly preparing a new military offensive in Aceh while the ongoing operation to restore security and public order in Maluku has been entrusted to the military.

The two analysts however, called on all sides to bear in mind the historical background of why the two decrees were decided upon by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) with the aim of giving both the military and the police their own tasks and increasing professionalism in accordance with the democratic reforms that were promised to the electorate in the 1999 elections.

Since the downfall of repressive former president Soeharto, the military has been roundly criticized for its actions during the 32-year New Order era.

In addition to the inclusion of the police in the then Indonesian armed forces (ABRI), the military also was officially granted the dual function status for defense and politics. It also established numerous institutions such as the coordinating board for maintenance of national stability (Bakorstanas) and the socio-political affairs organization that were designed to quell any opposition groups.

The military, mostly the Army, dominated strategic positions in the government from the regency level to the president, and also set up many business conglomerates in numerous sectors to support its budget.

The military has so far also maintained its much-criticized territorial function which has been regularly used to, among other activities for which it has drawn criticism, "persuade" the people to support the Golkar political party, the ruling party for 32 years.

Since the 1998 democracy reform movement to some extent, brought down the New Order, the military and the police were returned to their original functions in a bid to increase professionalism and support the creation of a civil society.

The separation between the police and the military has had some negative consequences, mostly to do with an unclear understanding of the limits of authority under the new decrees.