Democracy 'may not yield results'

Democracy 'may not yield results'

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid's approach to
overcoming separatist problems in the regions through political
means rather than military strength is cumbersome and does not
necessarily guarantee results, a senior military officer says.

Lt. Gen. Agus Widjojo, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief of
territorial affairs, said the President has at his disposal
numerous instruments which he can use to resolve problems, from
politics, economics, social, cultural to diplomacy and the
military.

"Thus far, the President has opted for nonmilitary measures.
This is what has happened in Aceh and Irian Jaya," Agus said,
referring to two provinces which have seen an increase in
separatist sentiments.

The decision not to use the military option has restricted
TNI's effectiveness in putting down unrest, he added.

"Without political support, the security apparatus can do
nothing. We do not have the legal umbrella to act. If we forced
our way into the troubled regions, we would only draw reactions
and accusations of human rights violations," said the 1970
graduate of the Armed Forces Academy.

The President may have chosen the right path but the process
is not necessarily effective and is very cumbersome, he said.

In contrast, during the reign of president Soeharto between
1966 and 1998, power was centralized in his hands and the
military was closely identified with the president, said Agus,
whom many consider one of the military's leading intellectuals.

"During that era, government policy was rarely different from
military policy," he said.

The government, based on the whims of Soeharto, deployed the
military to quell separatist activities in Aceh, Irian Jaya and
East Timor, he said.

At that time, the public did not care about the process, all
they cared about was the result, which was national security, he
said.

The chief drawback to this method was that there was little
control of the president. With the president making virtually all
the decisions, the system created generations of passive people
in Indonesia who are not responsive to national problems, he
said.

When Soeharto resigned in 1998, the military option became
unpopular and even ridiculed, he said.

Today, the emphasis is more on the process rather than the
result, Agus said. "In a process-oriented approach, we must be
prepared to see unexpected results."

He cited the unexpected election of Abdurrahman as president
in October 1999 as an example of the outcome of the democratic
processes in Indonesia.

"We are in a transition period, and many people still cannot
cope with that," he said. "This is good for democracy, but we
cannot expect to get quick answers to our problems like in the
past."

Agus admitted that TNI still felt more comfortable with the
old system because it was more effective and efficient, and
carried less risk. "But in a democracy we need process, and
process needs time." (02)