Analysts cautious over military's role in security

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.