Is TNI always to blame?
Is TNI always to blame?
I was pleasantly surprised when I read a letter written by
Irine Dewi Kurniati called TNI in the eyes of a layman in The
Jakarta Post on Jan. 5, 2000. To me it was like drinking ice-cold
Coca-Cola on a hot windless day.
The way she expressed her feelings was so sweet by saying when
there is a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) around she
feels safe and secure. She guaranteed that she was telling the
truth and nothing but the truth and on her own free will. Another
expression of sympathy because of seeing the reality is stated by
a retired Army man called Zainal Soepomo and a lady by the name
of Cecilia. Both are neutral and are sad because the public is
biased. They both expressed their opinions in the Rakyat Merdeka
daily's Jan. 12, 2000 edition.
Compare her expression with what Dr. Muhammad Mahfud said in
his hate for TNI: "In other countries, the state creates the
Armed Forces, but in Indonesia the Armed Forces create the
state".
Perhaps he is referring to an article from the Southeast Asian
Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 15, No. 1/1987, which noted: "The
newly organized government was reluctant to raise an Army,
because it wanted to achieve independence peacefully". But there
was nothing said about the Army creating a state.
Dr. Nasikun is more extreme and contrary to what was expressed
by Irine. He said that people don't feel protected by the
presence of the Indonesian Military.
TNI is looked down upon by the people, a feeling I think is
inspired by certain politicians who feel their future and role in
Indonesia threatened by the efficient and well-organized TNI.
It cannot be denied that some members of TNI have overacted
and committed unforgivable atrocities which are to be regretted,
but the people should not blame all of TNI and the National
Police for being bad and disregarding humanity.
Another thing which people should consider is the situation at
the particular time which perhaps forced TNI and the National
Police to overact and show no mercy. It is perhaps a situation
where there was no choice, a you-or-me or a lose-lose situation.
If people are honest they will accept the fact that
individuals of non-TNI organizations have also violated human
rights but the media sometimes closes their eyes, instead of
reporting facts, taking a neutral objective position and being
irrespective of who committed it.
I have the impression that only TNI can violate human rights
but not the rebels that are in places such as Aceh or other parts
of Indonesia, who kidnap and kill TNI members and innocent
people. But the attention is only directed to violations by TNI
and the National Police.
On top of all this, statements made by high-ranking officers,
like the one made recently by the commander of the Army Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad), that the invitation to generals by
the commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM)
hurt the soldiers' feelings. It gives the impression that our TNI
soldiers are barbarians and people who hate TNI find moral
support in this statement.
The essence is that members of TNI, like any other
institution, make mistakes but that does not mean that the
institution itself is bad. I hope that the letter from
Irine will give some material for a rethinking in the appraisal
of TNI. The community should help TNI to find it's real
personality for the benefit of Indonesians.
SOEGIH ARTO
Jakarta