Armed forces should quit politics, says observer
JAKARTA (JP): A civil society cannot be developed if the Armed Forces (ABRI) remains entrenched in the political system because events over the past 30 years show that its presence stifles democracy, senior political scientist Arbi Sanit said here Saturday.
Arbi of the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences said the Armed Forces must abandon its sociopolitical role and return to a strict role of defense and security.
"I suggest that ABRI now returns to the barracks because it has been suppressing democratic principles for the past 30 years," he said at a seminar on the relevance of the Armed Forces' dual function.
Arbi maintained that the Armed Forces' active involvement in almost every state institution, representative body and political party during the New Order regime under former president Soeharto had made it an "uncontrollable" element.
"But its involvement has also cost ABRI a lot. It's tragic that the military indulges in the practice of murdering its own people. These acts only tarnish its honor before the people and international world," Arbi said, referring to the recent revelations of the military's involvement in serious human rights abuses.
Armed Forces top brass admitted last month that members of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) may have been involved in the abductions of political activists.
Violations
Frequent reports of human rights violations going back to the early 1990s, allegedly committed by military units in Aceh, have also surfaced which eventually led to Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto's pledge on Friday to withdraw troops from the province.
Arbi therefore said that now was the time for the Armed Forces to relinquish its political role and yield to the authority and sovereignty of the people.
"Let people exercise their political rights and control the government," Arbi asserted.
He also called on active military personnel to resign from service if they held nonmilitary positions.
"In principle active ABRI members should not hold civilian posts," Arbi added.
Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid and Attorney General Andi Muhammad Ghalib are among active Armed Forces members who hold strategic civilian posts.
Political activist Pius Lustrilanang, who also spoke at Saturday's seminar, shared Arbi's opinion, saying that exposing the violent and inhumane acts committed by the Armed Forces was one effective way of sending them back to the barracks.
"Reveal as much evidence of their violence as possible," said Pius.
Pius himself was a victim of the abductions allegedly carried out by Kopassus.
He stressed that all violations and crimes committed by the Armed Forces in the past must be disclosed and those responsible be held accountable.
"They must be prosecuted otherwise they will feel that they are above the law," he added. (byg)