Analysts warn of TNI influence
Analysts warn of TNI influence
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Political analysts have expressed concern that the emergence of
former military generals as contenders in the upcoming
presidential election would put the nascent democracy at risk and
may herald the arrival of an autocratic government led by a
president with a dubious commitment to human rights.
Analyst Ikrar Nusa Bhakti of the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (LIPI) said that although the generals had already
retired from the TNI, they would still command respect from
active military personnel owing to their decades of experience in
the field.
"We should draw a lesson from what transpired in the
relationship between president Soeharto and the military.
Although Pak Harto had long retired from active duty he could
still wield effective control over the military. This form of
military control may recur in the future," Ikrar told The Jakarta
Post in a telephone interview.
Ikrar also said another reason to fear the resurgence of
military figures in politics was that Susilo and Wiranto were
supported by scores of retired generals who staunchly believed in
military supremacy over civilians and were restless over the slow
progress in democracy.
"The retired generals who are lining up behind the candidates
can't accept the fact the consolidation of democracy will take a
long and winding road and prefer a strong leader that will lead
the masses," Ikrar said, adding that he strongly believed that
these "old school" generals had an key role in rallying leaders
of Golkar's regional branches to support Wiranto during the
recent party convention.
Ikrar also said that of all the available presidential
aspirants with a military background, none could claim to promote
human rights.
Golkar Party's presidential aspirant Wiranto, who was just
nominated by the party in a convention early on Wednesday, is
still mired in an unsatisfactorily resolved case of human rights
violations for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity
during the bloody breakaway of East Timor province from Indonesia
in 1999.
Another candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was nominated
by the upstart Democratic Party, was once quoted as saying that
human rights could not be perceived as something absolute.
Munir of the Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) shared
Ikrar's view, saying that the return of military figures in
politics would impede reform.
"How can we expect the future president to be tough against
human rights violators or corruption if the very institution
(TNI) he came from is still mired in both problems," he told the
Post.
Following the demise of president Soeharto's authoritarian New
Order regime which laid its foundation in the coercive power
exercised by the military, the public mounted a call for a
withdrawal of the TNI from politics.
In response to public outcry, the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) scrapped the TNI's role in politics in 2000 with
its decision to abolish the military's seats in both the House of
Representatives and the Assembly starting in 2004. The military
handed over the task of maintaining security to the police at the
beginning of 2001 to focus on defense, a process that has not
been completed.
Months before the April 5 legislative election, TNI Commander
Gen. Endriartono Sutarto pledged that the military would stay
neutral and expressed hope that the public would encourage the
TNI to focus on defense matters and refrain from tempting the
military to return to politics.
Separately, an expert on Indonesian politics Jeffrey Winters
said that the rise of former military figures in politics
reflected the failure of the civilian government in effectively
ruling the country.
"People believe that figures like Susilo and Wiranto would be
resolute when deciding on crucial issues," he told reporters
here.
However, Jeffrey dismissed the notion that the rise of former
military figures would pose a serious challenge to the burgeoning
democracy. "If they are elected in a democratic manner, so be
it," he said.