Army chief rules out disarming, withdrawing troops from Aceh
Lela E. Madjiah, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu dismissed on Monday the possibility of Army troops in Aceh laying down their arms following last week's signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement by the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Geneva, Switzerland.
"Even here in Java or Surabaya (Army troops) carry weapons, let alone there (in Aceh)," he said here after a ceremony to commemorate the Army's anniversary.
Ryamizard also ruled out a troop withdrawal from Aceh, saying the Indonesian Military (TNI) was the armed forces of the Republic of Indonesia and the presence of troops from Sabang to Merauke was legitimate.
"There should be no questions asked about the presence of a million troops in an area (of the country) because that's where they belong. On the other hand, the presence of one single soldier in another country is subject to question," he said.
Ryamizard was responding to questions about GAM's demand that the Indonesian Military withdraw from Aceh.
Last week Tengku Zainuri, field commander of GAM's military wing in Pasee district, said that while GAM appreciated the military's goodwill gesture of halting its military operations after the signing of the peace accord, "we are waiting for further steps from the military to withdraw from the province in the next seven months".
Ryamizard also said he had instructed his troops to honor and obey the government's decision on Aceh, including the Geneva agreement, despite alleged violations by GAM.
"I have seen many violations by the opposite side (GAM), but we don't want to make an issue of them. However, if the violations occur every day, then we will have to evaluate (the Aceh situation). The most important thing is to carry out the policy of the government and of the TNI leadership while at the same time remaining cautious so as not to be caught off guard," he said, referring to GAM's misuse of a humanitarian pause in 2000 to build up its arms supply.
"We sincerely want peace, not only in Aceh, but all over Indonesia. On the other hand, we must remain cautious about the sincerity of other parties. If both sides want peace, there will be peace. The problem is when one party does not want peace or pretends it wants peace," he said.
Earlier in his speech, Ryamizard told his troops the only thing they had to keep in mind was how to prevent the nation from breaking up.
"There is only one proclamation of independence, that of Aug. 17, 1945," he said.
The Army chief also used the occasion to highlight the progress the Army had made in its reform efforts.
"There has been some progress in the fields of security, intelligence, operations and personnel. We have, for example, established criteria for promotions and placements. We have also improved our logistics through the procurement of helicopters, weapons and artillery, although not much," he said.
Ryamizard stressed that the Army was not concerned by a U.S. arms embargo.
"America is not the only one who has weapons. Other countries have a lot of weapons and we only have to make our choice. Why must we limit our choice (to U.S. weapons)?"
He stressed that even in modern warfare, Indonesia's best weapon was the unity of the people and the TNI.
"That's why we must nurture this unity. We don't recognize the civil-military dichotomy, because since the beginning the people and the military have been one. Why must TNI return to the barracks? Whose barracks? The U.S. may confine its troops to barracks, but the people are the TNI's barracks," he said.
"Therefore, despite advances in technology, human resources and weapons, the unity of the people and the military remains the basis of the Army's modern infantry warfare," said Ryamizard.
In this light, the Army will improve its territorial capabilities, he said.
"We have been holding workshops to improve the capabilities of our territorial personnel so that they get it right. We have done this with only one thing in mind: to enable the Army to perform its core tasks well."