Military riding the winds of change

Military riding the winds of change

BANDUNG (JP): "What's wrong with Dwifungsi?" is a question
that is being asked nowadays by nearly everyone concerned. To say
nothing is wrong with the concept is to be blind to the reality,
given the harsh criticism over its existence and implementation
coming from almost every quarter of society.

As the anniversary of the armed forces is approaching, the
public is getting more and more curious about how the military is
going to address the issue. It is expected that the ABRI
leadership will announce the fate of Dwifungsi on Oct. 5 -
whether it will remain or become history.

It is not a simple problem to solve, and Minister of Defense
and Security/ABRI Chief Gen. Wiranto has said that it will take
ABRI five years to consolidate, reorganize, reposition and
redefine its role in the future. Wiranto's statement hinted that
ABRI would not be tempted to rush things over such a crucial
matter.

Historically, there is no denying ABRI's significant
contribution to the state and people of Indonesia through both
defense and security and its sociopolitical roles. After the 1965
abortive communist coup, ABRI emerged as the most solid and
powerful institution, thus its self-perception as the sole
guardian of the country's sovereignty, the Pancasila state
ideology and the 1945 Constitution.

Under the Sukarno government, ABRI played a central role in
defending national unity and integrity and in safeguarding
Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. The state of emergency that
followed the various armed rebellions after the proclamation of
independence placed ABRI at the forefront, thus its domination
over other government institutions. This leading position gave
ABRI justification over its territorial (sociopolitical) role.

"During the Soeharto New Order government, ABRI's
sociopolitical role reached such a level that, according to some
senior officers involved in bringing about the Dwifungsi concept,
it overstretched its original goals," Maj. Gen. Agus Widjojo, an
advisor on politics and security to the ABRI chief, said in his
paper on ABRI's role in the 21st century.

According to Widjojo, the initiator of Dwifungsi failed to
anticipate the likelihood of the presidential position being
held by someone with a direct commanding authority over the
military who used this power to serve his political interests.

"ABRI could say no to President Sukarno, but it could not do
the same to Soeharto," Widjojo explained.

On the other hand, Soeharto gave ABRI the liberty to perform
its sociopolitical role for his own interests. This was because
the social conditions under the New Order had not changed from
the previous era, where public participation in decision making
was not encouraged, he added.

"Indonesia's two presidents created special conditions for
ABRI's sociopolitical role that amounted to spoiling it. However,
these special conditions cannot be made the norms, standard, or
final form of ABRI's sociopolitical role ," he said.

Redefinition

Widjojo cited six factors that called for a redefinition of
Dwifungsi and reform in its implementation.

"We have passed the state of emergency and are in a situation
that no longer justifies ABRI playing too big a role, which is
nothing more than an extension of its defense and security
function," said Widjojo.

At the same time, the demilitarization trend demands reduced
military interference in non-military affairs, on the grounds
that the military is considered a deterrent towards the
democratization process and respect for human rights, he said.

Education has created a society that is very much aware of its
rights to participate in politics and to take part in decision
making. Globalization has forced nations to improve their
managerial capabilities in order to win global competition among
nations. An acceleration of the modernization of the Indonesian
people as required by the globalization trend will be a critical
factor in the shift towards a new paradigm, from a traditional
society to a modern people.

"The last factor is the fact that Indonesia's productive age
group will be dominated by those people who do not experience or
understand the various historical events that justify Dwifungsi,"
said Widjojo.

System

The six factors open various possibilities for new forms of
ABRI's role in the 21st century, a role that is no longer
appropriate to be called ABRI's sociopolitical role. In the
future, it will be more fitting to define ABRI's sociopolitical
role as its role and dedication to the nation, said Widjojo.

The problem is, ABRI is being faced with two extreme views
that speak of a possibility of confronting its defense and
security function with its sociopolitical role.

"On one hand, the democratization trend and demands for
respect for human rights in the form of a civil society, close
the door on ABRI's sociopolitical role. On the other hand, the
current social conditions speak of a loosening sense of
nationalism, a lack of discipline and a threat to national unity
and integrity," he said.

According to Widjojo, in this situation, ABRI is still needed
to ensure that the current waves of reform are well-directed
towards creating a civil society.

"In this context, ABRI's sociopolitical role should be seen as
the property of the whole nation and should be decided by all
components of society, by taking into account all of the various
conditions and factors that can affect national interests," he
said.

As a consequence, ABRI will abandon its security approach that
has placed it as a central part in the life of the nation. In the
future, ABRI will place itself on an equal footing with other
institutions, as part of a national system instead of a
dominating institution, said Widjojo.

"ABRI will remain a professional, effective and modern defense
and security force, but also one that is ready to safeguard
national development and dedicate itself to achieving a common
goal, together with other components of the nation," he said.

"Dwifungsi is not a goal in itself, but a means through which
ABRI takes part in building a modern state and nation," Widjojo
concluded. (lem)