Armed forces professional by birth, says Prabowo

Armed forces professional by birth, says Prabowo

By Dwi Atmanta

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI)
was born as a professional organization, chief of the Army
Special Forces Maj. Gen. Prabowo Subianto said yesterday.

In a rare speech to academics, Prabowo said the Armed Forces
had inherited its professionalism from experience.

"We have a long tradition of warfare which began in the heyday
of past kingdoms, and it seems fortunate that ABRI was born from
soldiers who had learned a lot from the world's best armed
forces," Prabowo said in an off-the-cuff speech.

He was referring to the Dutch and Japanese armed forces which
trained local youths to help them win their wars.

Prabowo, one of the Armed Forces' rising stars, was speaking
at a seminar held by the Indonesian Association for Social
Sciences Development. The seminar will end Saturday.

Most of Indonesia's early military leaders were protegees of
colonial armed forces. They include the founder of the Armed
Forces the late Gen. Soedirman, Gen. (ret) Abdul Haris Nasution,
the late Oerip Soemohardjo who was once an Armed Forces chief of
staff and President Soeharto,

Prabowo, Soeharto's son-in-law, said the Armed Forces had
passed a test of professionalism when it fought to retain the
nation's independence against Dutch and British troops between
1947 and 1949. The Dutch and British were fresh from winning
World War II.

This professional tradition had helped the country's military
leaders build an army, despite their government not being
recognized, Prabowo said.

"ABRI has undoubtedly been a group of professionals since
then. This was proved when it quelled the rebellions that hit the
nation in its first 20 years of independence," he said.

Non-military

Prabowo said the military developed their professionalism in
non-military fields when they filled civilian posts in the mid-
1950s because the government had introduced martial law.

"Professionalism in both defense and sociopolitical affairs,
which is its dual role, has made ABRI different from the military
in other countries," he said.

Another speaker, Yahya Muhaimin of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah
Mada University's School of Social and Political Sciences, agreed
with Prabowo. He said the Armed Forces' dual role fitted a
concept of new professionalism commonly shared by military in
developing countries.

Yahya, a military analyst, said the Armed Forces' involvement
in civil matters should be understood within an historical rather
than a legal context.

The 1945 Constitution makes no reference to the Armed Forces'
participation in sociopolitical affairs.

Yahya said the Armed Forces' role in civil affairs had
declined because of the public was growing weary of it.

ABRI, Yahya said, now had to accommodate globalization which
required greater democracy, transparency and the rule of law.

"People are now asking who can hold ABRI personnel in civilian
posts accountable. This must be answered to maintain public
recognition of its dual role," said Yahya.

Yahya hailed ABRI's recent revision of its sociopolitical role
from being a front-runner to a back-seater, but suggested that it
heed growing public demand for democratization.

"This may require ABRI to limit its (occupation) of civilian
posts to only strategic ones, and reduce its seats in the House
of Representatives.

"ABRI could even move toward being a totally neutral
institution in general elections," Yahya said.

ABRI has been criticized for leaning toward the dominant
political group Golkar. A recent study by the state-run National
Institute for Social Sciences recommended that the Armed Forces
interfere less in civil matters, and eventually only place its
representatives in the People's Consultative Assembly.