Military must hand over civilian posts

As Indonesians we used to say saudara (brother) to address our fellow countrymen. The late president Sukarno frequently used it to address an audience. It implies closeness. To him, Javanese, Sundanese, Ambonese, Manadonese, Chinese, Bataks, etc. were all Indonesians irrespective of their ethnicity, creed, religion and background. They were just brothers and sisters, the children of the motherland. Therefore, they also had a right and a say in running the country. There were no exceptions.

The students' outcry forced Soeharto to leave office, which he handed over to Habibie with Gen. Wiranto on guard. The People's Consultative Assembly assigned Habibie to hold a general election and an investigation into Soeharto's wrongdoings. Corruption, collusion and nepotism, flourishing during his tenure, turned the country upside down. The vices were practiced by almost everybody -- bureaucrats, the military and businesspeople. The country's riches are enjoyed by a small group out of the more than 200 million Indonesians. The high economic growth rates announced by experts were nothing but fake. It is another tune of the lullaby. A monetary crisis was inevitable and the economy collapsed.

The students kept on staging demonstrations in protest of the deteriorating situation. Through in-depth analysis it was concluded that the military regime under Soeharto was the cause of all the trouble. The military's sociopolitical role should be scraped. Too many military people hold civilian posts. Jakarta is a good example of the military's power. The governorship has always been reserved for a military man.

The military's civic mission introduced at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s proved to be a grandiose strategy to undermine the country politically and economically. History has all the records. The civic mission was initially accepted by the public with high enthusiasm. It was conceived as manifestation of "oneness" of the Indonesian Military and the people like water and fish -- inseparable. That was true during the fight for independence, but that is no longer the case. The fish are dying due to the whirlpools. As a matter of fact, the military has controlled the country for almost 32 years, albeit camouflaged in a Golkar cloak.

The student protests against the military-sponsored state security bill should be taken as a vivid sign of rejection of the military's role in government and the legislature. Military personnel should not have both military and civilian positions. Public administration and other university graduates are smart enough and hence have the capability to hold any civilian post. It is unfair not to give them the chance to take up the public administration jobs.

DOANGSA SITUMEANG

Jakarta