Military reform stagnant, says general

By Ridwan M. Sijabat

JAKARTA (JP): The reform movement, which had a share in bringing Soeharto down from his presidency in 1998, is at stake as it receives strong resistance from the remnants of the former New Order regime.

Many believe that the ongoing trial of Soeharto and the investigations into human rights abuses in the past, which allegedly involved a number of senior military officers and retired generals, are closely linked to the series of recent bloody incidents and bomb blasts in several parts of the country.

Former Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono has indicated that Soeharto's supporters were behind all these incidents, while political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Samsuddin Harris has alleged that elements of the military were involved.

Lt. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, former chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), shared his views on reform in the military in an interview with The Jakarta Post at his residence in the Bulak Rantai Army housing complex, East Jakarta, over the weekend.

To win the people's hearts, Agus said, the military, along with the National Police, must show its strong commitment to emphasizing its role as the country's defense force and to immediately restoring security and order throughout the nation.

He said the Army must cleanse itself of the remnants of the former regime, rehabilitate its image and win the people's confidence.

"To resume internal reform in the military, the President should appoint loyal military officers to strategic positions.

"It's not difficult to control TNI if the government can control such strategic positions because the military leadership is based on a chain of command," he explained.

He said he disagreed with the abolition of the regional military commands, but suggested that their presence in urban areas, where the people were more educated, should be reduced to a minimum, while those in rural areas be maintained.

He claimed that the military's internal reform program had stagnated due to poor leadership and strong resistance from senior Army officers and retired generals, who are closely linked to the former New Order regime and have being questioned over past human rights abuses.

He said Army chief Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, once believed to be capable of controlling the Army and reforming it, had bowed down to the anti-reform group in the military.

"I guess the President is not satisfied with Tyasno because of his failure to sever his ties with the Cendana family, remove the anti-reform group and help restore security and order," he said.

The three-star general accused Tyasno of having lobbied the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) factions, two major factions in the House of Representatives, to support his promotion to the top position in the Indonesian Military (TNI) and help eliminate the possibility of his immediate removal from the posting.

He said Tyasno has failed to emphasize internal reform in the Army and has even edged closer to the anti-reform group.

"If pak Tyasno is in full control of the Army, he could order all regional military commands to restore security and order in their respective regions and take strict action in respect of the recent bomb blasts in Medan, North Sumatra, and Jakarta.

"He could have cooperated with the National Police and military intelligence. But he didn't do it," he said.

He expressed disappointed with Tyasno for doing nothing to follow up on the irregularities uncovered in a Kostrad foundation.

"I have no intention of putting (Let. Gen.) Djadja Suparman in jail, but the Army leadership should be transparent with its nonbudgetary funds," he said.

He declined to identify the members of the anti-reform group.

"You can name them yourself," he said, referring to the active and retired officers who are facing human rights charges over the 1984 Tanjung Priok case, the July 27, 1996 incident and the East Timor case.

Agus, who was abruptly sacked from Kostrad last month, said that he was a victim of the anti-reform group, who saw him as a serious threat.

"I was dismissed days after it had been reported to the President that I was mobilizing the masses during the People's Consultative Assembly's recent Annual Session to topple the head of state. It's such a baseless report, apparently aimed at isolating me," he said.

"Then, I was transferred to Army headquarters as a senior officer. But, I still haven't been assigned an office, a table to work at or a chair to sit on.

"It is impossible for me to share offices with colonels, while Lt. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessy, former TNI chief of General Affairs, who was given the same status as myself, was given a special office and an official car," he added.

Agus said he met with President Abdurrahman earlier this month prior to his departure to New York for the Millennium Summit to clarify all of the misleading reports on him.

Agus, a 1973 graduate of the Military Academy and a 1992 graduate of prestigious Harvard University in the United States, said he was not offended by the discriminatory treatment he had received.

"I'm optimistic about my future. I still have six years in which to do many things prior to my retirement," he said.

Upon his dismissal from Kostrad, Agus undertook a lot of activities from his home. Besides attending discussions with experts, politicians and his Army colleagues, he is now writing two books, one on his thoughts for reform in the military and the other on his military career.