Military or civilian?

Military or civilian?

The antagonism between the military and civilians has again become a hot topic of debate. This old issue has reemerged due to the fact that two former generals are running for president.

The two, Wiranto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, will be strong challengers to two civilian candidates -- Amien Rais and Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The two retired generals have also raised fears in some circles, even though their bids for the presidency are based on the principles of democracy and are therefore permissible.

On the other hand, certain parties, particularly the political elite, believe that the longest period of stability in Indonesian history was when the country was under the rule of a military-man who was able to control the people. Civilians were incapable of doing this.

The most important principle of democracy is civilian supremacy. To uphold this, the defense ministry should be led by a civilian. Who are civilians? They are those who are not actively involved in the military. So, are Wiranto and Susilo in the military? No, they are not. They are now civilians and we have to accept that.

What we should be afraid of is not the military or civilians but militarism -- the aggressiveness to conquer everything, the refusal to be defeated. Anybody can resort to militarism -- be they military or civilian figures.

Thus, in a country that respects the principles of democracy, let all citizens -- regardless of their background -- compete to become the nation's leader, so long civilian supremacy is respected. -- Media Indonesia, Jakarta