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)