How reformist can the Indonesian Military be?

How reformist can the Indonesian Military be?

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Military (TNI) began its internal
reform in 1998. But, has the reform had an impact on TNI and its
personnel. Air Force Chief of Staff Marshall Hanafie Asnan looks
at the implementation of the policy.

Question: What benefit has the internal reform contributed
to the Air Force?

Answer: The internal reform has made us more confident in
performing our duties. This is due to the new doctrine introduced
that in facing a war, the three military branches (the Army, the
Navy, the Air Force) perform their responsibilities together as a
united force without one dominating the others.

This condition did not exist in the past, even in the earlier
period when I was appointed as the Air Force chief in 1998. Now,
all forces are supposed to be equal.

The Army dominated TNI in the past. Has the 'domination'
decreased?

I admit that it (the Army's domination) can still be felt
until now. And those used to that situation will react negatively
when the power is taken from them.

While talking about equality, will you be disappointed if in
the next military reshuffle, the leadership of TNI will not be
given to an Air Force general, considering the Air Force now
holds the TNI leadership?

As a soldier, I must accept that the government has the
authority to decide military leadership. Equality does not mean
that the rotation system in appointing the TNI leadership is a
must. As long as the post is held by the right person, I don't
have any objection. I, myself, will not encourage my members to
challenge the government's decision.

What about the opinion by certain people that the Air Force
does not have enough 'flight hours' to hold the TNI leadership?

It's the opinion of people who do not understand about the
military organization. I believe everyone has the capability to
lead, no matter whether he is from the Navy, Army or Air Force.
However, I admit that if an Air Force officer holds the
military's top position, we should be aware that the other forces
might mess with us.

How do you see the existence of the TNI faction in the
People's Consultative Assembly/ House of Representatives
(MPR/DPR)?

The presence of the TNI faction in the MPR/DPR is probably
because the political parties are not ready to be politically
independent or the political elite expect TNI support. In this
case, the TNI faction in considered as their (politicians')
instrument.

Currently, the only Air Force senior officer holding a
significant position in TNI is Vice Marshal Ian Santoso who
chairs the Military Intelligence Strategic Agency (Bais). How
capable is the Air Force's intelligence apparatus?

The Bais organization is mostly run by Army personnel from the
Regional Military commands or the Army Special Force (Kopassus).
Air Force personnel were once excluded from Bais several years
ago. Now, with the new structure, we hope we can create a war
intelligence with good ability to predict the power of any enemy
and to protect our country from threats by other countries. In
the past, our intelligence body covered a wide range of
activities, including to spy on common people and businessmen. It
was totally unprofessional.

Do you agree with the opinion that our intelligence is weak?

Yes, I do. Because, currently bombings occur without prior
warning or detection. But, I wonder whether the bombings occurred
because of our poor intelligence capability, or were our
intelligence personnel involved?

What has been the result of lobbying efforts to countries that
had suspended military aid to Indonesia?

Positive. I've met with the British Ambassador to Indonesia
and asked him to lift the suspension on military aid. I asked him
how can Indonesia improve the professionalism of its military
personnel if they imposed the embargo?

Besides, the Air Force missions were not only to conduct
military activities, but also to perform civic missions.

Britain, a European country, will gladly lift the suspension.
Unfortunately, the United States has yet to lift it, and it gives
us a huge impact because most of our Air Force equipment came
from the United States.

How do you perceive your relationship with the political
elite, including the President?

People may think that I am close to the President or to the
Vice President. In fact, I never feel like the President's man. I
have been appointed to lead the Air Force because the state needs
me.

Have the political elite really set TNI free to appoint its
own leadership?

That is what TNI really expects ... that none of the political
elite interfere in TNI's internal affairs. Their intervention
will make the military unprofessional and be much involved in
politics. That's what is happening in TNI. But, I guess it's
normal, particularly for those who are very ambitious and even
willing 'to kiss the state leaders' hands' in order to get a
convenient position. (Tiarma Siboro)

Hanafie is a 1969 graduate of the Air Force Academy (AAU).
He was born in Bangkalan, Madura, East Java, on Nov. 7, 1945.