Many facets to Benny Moerdani

Many facets to Benny Moerdani

In the early hours of Sunday, one of the most feared, yet
respected sons of the nation left us. Gen. (ret) Leonardus
Benjamin "Benny" Moerdani, 71, deserves the praise that has been
heaped on him from many quarters. It is not an exaggeration to
say that he was probably one of the best soldiers this nation
ever had. It is difficult to deny the fact. His military career,
spanning almost the whole of his lifetime from the period of
freedom-fighting in the 1940s, saw him holding the positions of
intelligence chief and military chief when the Indonesian
Military (TNI) was known as the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI).

Once the most powerful general in the country, Benny is being
honored with flags flying at half-mast for seven days at all
military headquarters throughout the country.

The best soldiers have the most inspirational characteristics.
They are true soldiers, genuine, professional and loyal at the
same time. All these outstanding traits seemed to come together
in the figure that was affectionately called Pak Benny. His
friends would undoubtedly quote more pluses, like his
extraordinary intellectual capacity, quick wit, intelligent
remarks, firmness and, perhaps, sternness. His critics would
obviously remember his harshness, toughness and severity in
dealing with government opposition during the Soeharto years;
perhaps they will add one more: His cruelty.

Benny, the person, exuded an air of respect and fear, firmness
and charm at the same time, as if he were the embodiment of two
almost opposing traits.

Benny's career coincided with the transformation of a nation
from decolonialization to modernity. He had to deal with
numerous, delicate issues stemming from the quicksand traps
associated with rapid industrialization. At the same time, the
communists in Indonesia were severely routed following the 1965
coup blamed on them while, globally, the Cold War was raging. As
a soldier, he knew that he had to safeguard the task of turning
this colonial backwater into a prosperous nation. As such he had
to face myriad issues ranging from defusing confrontation with
Malaysia to toning down militant Islam groups, from silencing
government critics to crushing criminals.

Benny's intelligence background ran heavy through his military
career and it endowed him with much information not available to
the public. He had an astute understanding of what was going on
in the country -- what threats or dangers were imminent.

During the Soeharto years -- and, sadly, to some extent until
today -- one's religion played a vital role in one's life and
career. Being a Roman Catholic general who had to silence Muslim
militants in a country with the largest Islamic population was a
tall order. It was only natural that Benny accumulated foes among
Muslims, especially after the 1984 Tanjung Priok massacre in
Jakarta when soldiers opened fire on suspected Muslim militants.
His name was still mentioned by those protesting the incident
quite recently. Trials to investigate the incident have just
concluded, but critics say only a few low-ranking military
officers were punished.

In 1983 Benny allegedly ordered the street killings of
criminals to reduce the crime rate in the country. Five years
later, Soeharto wrote in his book Pikiran, Ucapan dan Tindakan
Saya (My Thoughts, Sayings and Actions) that Soeharto was the one
who gave the order.

There are those who feel that they were victimized by Benny's
past action, and rightly so. Many human rights activists
perceived Benny as a gross human rights violator after one-third
of East Timor's 750,000 people allegedly perished during an
Indonesian invasion in the former Portuguese colony in 1975.

A great man is always controversial, and Benny was no
exception. When one reflects on his harshness in the past toward
those opposing the government, perhaps it is useful to remember
that nothing is more inappropriate than to measure events of the
past with the yardstick of today.

It is best, perhaps, to take some lessons from his life: Benny
provided many. His love and dedication to his nation, for
example, is almost unparalleled. It is something in short supply
today. Benny was a leader with vision, also a rarity today, who
streamlined, restructured and modernized the Indonesian Military.
He was a man of principle who often had to suffer for being so.

Benny, perhaps, had a bad record of human rights violations
but he also contributed a lot to his nation. He was involved in
crushing many Muslim hard-liners, some of them prominent Muslim
leaders, but he also parachuted into the dense jungle of Irian
Jaya in mid-1960s to liberate it from the Dutch colonial
government.

To view Benny from one perspective only is to do him an
injustice.