'Democratization will reshape function of military in RI'

'Democratization will reshape function of military in RI'

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) will soon be faced with
the dilemma of either maintaining its current political role or
reducing it to help accelerate democratization, political
analysts said on Saturday.

This choice will confront ABRI as demands for democratization
in the nation increase, said the analysts at a seminar on
military and civil society organized by the Association of
Indonesian Catholic Students.

Chris Siner Key Timu contends that ABRI's dwi fungsi, or dual
function, will eventually give rise to conflict within the
military.

Apart from its traditional security and defense roles, the
Indonesian Armed Forces fulfills a sociopolitical function,
which, the analysts said on Saturday, should be aimed at
restoring democratic life.

"ABRI has to reflect the original mission of dual function. If
not, it will be trapped in an inner conflict...ABRI has to be at
peace with itself," said the member of the Petisi 50 group, which
emerged as harsh critics of President Soeharto in the 1980s.

They explained that dwi fungsi was defined following the
aborted coup of 1965 to help restore political stability and
democracy in Indonesia.

However, Chris said, ABRI must now reduce its sociopolitical
role if democratic life in Indonesia is to restored.

Political researcher J. Kristiadi concurred, saying that
ABRI's success in fulfilling its political function will depend
on how well it fosters a democratic government.

Kristiadi said during the seminar that the military's
sociopolitical role will gradually diminish as demands increase
for a more professional security and defense force.

"As weapons become more sophisticated, ABRI will have to give
more time and attention to its profession as a security and
defense force," said the researcher from the Centre for Strategic
and International Studies.

Kristiadi added that since the birth of the New Order
administration, the bureaucracy has dominated political life by
supporting a single political group.

There is no longer a reasonable system of "checks and
balances," he said.

Under Civil Servants Corp (Korpri) regulations, civil service
members are required to support the ruling Golkar faction.

"The bureaucracy in the past used to be an arena of
competition between political parties to gain influence. It is
now organized into a force which is only loyal to one social
political element," he said.

As a result, he said, political conflicts are merely due to
competition within the political elite, and not based on
political issues or policies.

Chris Siner Key Timu also lamented the bureaucracy's
association with Golkar.

"Under the New Order, it's as if the bureaucracy has become
exclusively part of the Golkar family, while in fact the
bureaucracy belongs to all the people because their salaries come
from taxes paid by the people," he said.

He suggested that the bureaucracy no longer be monopolized by
certain political elements.

"The bureaucracy has to be free of practical politics. It must
not be part of any of the political forces," Chris said, adding
that the bureaucracy "should help the process of democratization,
not become an obstacle." (mds)