Debate rages over military in DPR

JAKARTA (JP): Political expert Arbi Sanit says the Armed Forces (ABRI) should no longer be represented in the House of Representatives, but Golkar legislator Abu Hasan Sazili campaigns for the military's presence to be retained for "the sake of the nation."

Sazili said on Friday that if ABRI had to go, it must be done gradually. Arbi, however, insisted that "50 years is enough".

Both were commenting on a draft decree on general elections the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is expected to adopt during its Nov. 10 to Nov. 13 Special Session.

Besides resetting the date of the poll -- from 2003 to May or June 1999 -- the draft decree also seeks to maintain ABRI's presence in the House.

It is one of 12 MPR draft decrees planned to be passed in the Special Session. Another draft has also been prepared on the session's schedule.

The small Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP) was the only faction campaigning for the dismissal of ABRI from the House earlier when the Assembly's Working Committee (BP MPR) were preparing for the upcoming Special Session.

But PPP lost votes to Golkar, ABRI, Regional Representatives and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) factions.

The PPP, however, has vowed to fight for the cause in the Special Session.

On seat allotment for ABRI in the House, Article I (6) of the draft on general elections stipulates: "Members of the Republic of Indonesia's DPR and provincial legislature (DPRD) comprise members of contesting political parties who are elected in the poll and ABRI soldiers who are appointed."

The decree also says that as a socio-political force, ABRI acts as stabilizer and a force that lends dynamics to the Pancasila democracy. It says ABRI members do not vote in the elections and that its members in the DPR/MPR is through appointments.

Sazili argued the stipulation was not a "fait accompli" on the House -- currently deliberating three political bills including on elections and MPR/DPR/DPRD structure and position -- to accept ABRI's presence.

If passed, the MPR decree will be more superior in status than the political bills discussed by the House.

"We can still negotiate the number (of allocated seats for ABRI members), can't we? The stipulation does not fix a certain number," said Sazili, who heads the DPR's 87-legislator strong special committee assigned to deliberate the bills.

The bill on MPR/DPR/DPRD structure and position says ABRI will be allocated 55 seats in the new 550-member House, or the 700- member MPR. The Assembly will comprise of DPR members, plus 81 regional representatives and 69 professional groups representatives.

Arbi, however, said the decree was a cause for concern because it sought to retain the military presence in the House.

Sazili argued ABRI may be sent out of the House only after the general elections in 2004.

"Maybe ABRI is already willing to get out," Sazili said.

"What's important now is how to avoid appointed members being a majority in the House," he added.

Arbi said it must be now or never.

Sazili warned of "a problem" if ABRI was to be totally driven out from the DPR now.

"This could create dissatisfaction within ABRI. We (DPR) don't want this nation to break up, do we?" Sazili said.

Arbi retorted: "How unfair (the DPR has been)! Why be afraid of the 500,000-strong ABRI, when ignoring millions of others who want to see ABRI out of the House?"

Arbi dismissed the suggestion that ABRI needed to be retained in the House for the nation's sake.

"Legislators should be representatives of the people, not representatives of the nation. The nation's representative is like a president when he or she is abroad," he said.

Sazili and Arbi, however, agreed that debates on the issue would continue.

Sazili said: "ABRI at present must be seen as a force which has improved itself to be a better one than it was. There's been improvement within ABRI."

Arbi said the Assembly would lose people's respect if it passed the decree on ABRI's presence in the House.

"It's a test-case for the MPR/DPR to prove that it is a reformed MPR/DPR, not a bunch of... Soehartoists," he said.

Another test for the Assembly was whether it would adopt a decree seeking to investigate those allegedly abused by Soeharto during his 32 years as president.

However, Arbi said he was pessimistic about the Assembly rising to the challenge. (23/44/aan)