Military rebuilding political power base, observers warn
Military rebuilding political power base, observers warn
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The military has won accolades for scraping institutions
established to reinforce its political role during the 32 years
of Soeharto's authoritarian rule.
Liquidating the socio-political affairs and territorial posts
have been the moves most applauded as proof of the military's
pledge to quit politics and focus on its defense role.
But is the military really quitting politics? The answer is
no, and in some ways it is, in fact, actually making a comeback.
That is what respected experts have observed over the past year,
a period when the civilian government was plagued by instability.
They point to the government's wish to reestablish a military
command in Aceh, and probably elsewhere, in the future as a clear
indication that the military is rebuilding its political
infrastructure.
Another matter they point to is the inconsistencies among
politicians and government officials about the military's role in
politics, whereas getting the military out of politics was one of
the priorities of the political reforms that pro-democracy
activists pledged following Soeharto's fall in 1998.
"Inconsistencies abound ... while the military's pledge to
quit politics exists only in words," said military analyst
Kusnanto Anggoro.
Kusnanto was speaking at a discussion on reform of the
security sector in Jakarta. The other speakers were Rizal Sukma,
Cornelis Lay, Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, Munir, Edy Prasetyono, and Hari
Prihatono.
The deployment of around 1,000 troops last July in the
vicinity of the state palace to intimidate then president
Abdurrahman Wahid, who was facing impeachment at the time, was an
example of the civilian government allowing the military to
intervene in politics, he said.
Abdurrahman was known as a leader who wanted to see the
military out of politics.
Rizal said that President Megawati Soekarnoputri could not
control the military because she needed the military to help her
stay in power.
"Megawati just gives freedom to the military to do what it
likes to defend its interests," Rizal added.
This perception was shared by Munir, a human rights
campaigner. He said that the effort to end the military's role in
politics had become a damp squib now that the government and
politicians were extending greater opportunities to the military
to rebuild its political base.
He referred to the political process during the Assembly
Special Session in July, when the military/police faction in the
supreme legislative body played a very important role.
The bargaining position of the military had also been
strengthening, as was obvious from the government's indecisive
stand in dealing with the numerous violations of human rights
involving the military.
"The delayed tribunal for military officers implicated in
rights abuses in East Timor (in 1999) is a good example," Munir
said.
Ikrar, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences,
pointed out that the wish to reestablish the military regional
command in Aceh could be followed by similar plans elsewhere in
areas of conflict, such as Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi and Irian
Jaya.
Ikrar also recalled that in the past the military had wished
to establish regional military commands in various new provinces,
cities and regencies.
"It is only reasonable if the public questions whether there
is any connection between the conflicts in various regions and
the wish of the military to establish regional military
commands," said .
If Megawati did approve the military's plan to revive its
command in Aceh, it would show that she only did what the
military wanted, he said.
Rizal, a political observer from the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS), said the Aceh plan conflicted with
military leaders' claims that they meant to drop the military's
territorial functions.
"We have often heard of it and therefore it is a paradox if
now the military wants to reestablish or form new regional
military commands," Rizal added.
If the military really wished to drop its territorial
functions, it should proceed by reducing its presence in several
regions through the closure of the military commands in those
regions in stages, said Rizal.
Hasballah M. Saad, an Acehnese human rights activist, doubted
that the reestablishment of a regional command in Aceh was based
on the wishes of the Acehnese people as claimed by Aceh Governor
Abdullah Puteh.
"We should remember that the wish of the military to
reestablish the Iskandar Muda military command was first made
public in 1998. So, if there now is a claim that the wish comes
from the Aceh people. we must question this," he added.