Megawati urged to push for military reform

Megawati urged to push for military reform

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A prodemocracy non-governmental organization Uni-social Democrat
Institute (USD) called on President Megawati Soekarnoputri to
keep to the national reform agenda by returning the Indonesian
Military (TNI) to its defense function.

Bambang S. Warih, the chairman of the institute which runs
political studies and research, said in a discussion here on
Friday that internal reform in the military has been half-hearted
because the President remains silent on sensitive issues.

"President Megawati in her capacity as supreme commander of
TNI has the authority to pressure the military to reform itself
as is required by MPR Decree No. 7/2000 and other laws requiring
the military to withdraw from politics," he said.

He said that with decrees issued by the People's Consultative
Assembly's special session in 1998, its 1999 general session and
2000 annual session, the nation had been committed to phasing out
the military's political role and to return it to its key
function in defense.

According to him, the military, whose generals have frequently
put on "political uniforms", must return to their main task as
the state apparatus as stipulated by the 1945 Constitution.

"As part of the state apparatus, the military must be loyal to
the president and comply with the Constitution and the law to
maintain the country's sovereignty," he said, citing the military
had no task to maintain national unity as it has frequently
claimed.

Bambang said that according to the 2000 decree on the role of
the TNI and the National Police, the military's main task was
defending the country from all external threats, while the main
task of the National Police was to maintain security at home,
which included separatism.

Asked to comment on the voting rights of military and police
personnel, Bambang said the bill should give voting rights to all
Indonesian citizens, including civil servants, the police and
military personnel.

"As ordinary citizens, those working in the bureaucracy, the
National Police and TNI have the right to cast their vote at
general elections.

"But, the problem is now that the issue has been abused by
(Gen.) Endriartono to maintain the military's current non-elected
seats at MPR until 2009," he said.

According to USD's recent study on TNI's territorial function
in Java, Aceh and Irian Jaya, most soldiers deployed in the
regions had no special interest in politics and many military
personnel had abused their territorial function to make money
because they could not survive on their low monthly salaries.

Bambang said the military had many foundations to run its
companies but only the elite enjoyed the profits.

"It is better for the government to cover the military's
budget to encourage it to stick to its defense function and to
improve its professionalism," he said, citing 70 percent of the
military's annual budget had been raised from its businesses.

Military observer Hasnan Habib has also said recently that he
was of the same opinion that military personnel should be allowed
to exercise their voting rights in elections.