Militia will help foster sense of security: Wiranto

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives is holding off on a decision on the hotly debated plan to establish a civilian militia, which the Armed Forces (ABRI) argues is needed to help in law enforcement and restore a sense of security among the public.

Minister of Defense/ABRI Commander Gen. Wiranto defended the plan in a hearing with House Commission I on security on Thursday.

Legislator Aisyah Amini, who chaired the session, said the commission understood Wiranto's explanation, but still had to decide whether to endorse the militia.

"Our (decision to endorse) would depend mostly on the legality and the draft law on the militia. We would likely decide to agree if the draft law is in accordance with what the ABRI leadership has just explained," she said after the hearing.

The Armed Forces is drafting a bill on the civilian militia which it hopes to submit shortly. Aisyah underscored the need for its speedy deliberation because the military plans to recruit the militia as early as next month.

Golkar faction legislator Sutradara Ginting reminded the Armed Forces that the militia should not be formed as an "emotional reaction" toward recent upheaval across the country.

Wiranto contended the plan was "part of ABRI's anticipatory action to help create a feeling of safety in society as well as to enforce the law and maintain stability".

He warned that crime, including riots, looting and arson, was expected to soar in the near future because of economic hardship and prevailing ignorance of the law.

"With the 200,000-member National Police, we wouldn't be able to create a feeling of safety among more than the 210 million people... we would be overwhelmed in handling riots and looting like that which occurred in the past".

Wiranto was accompanied by Army chief Gen. Subagyo HS, Deputy Navy chief Rear Adm. Achmad Sucipto, Air Force chief Vice Marshal Hanafie Asnan and National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi.

Wiranto said the militia would be established in housing areas and industrial zones considered prone to collective crime, riots and looting.

In the first phase of its establishment, about 40,000 people would be recruited for one-month training at military commands in Java and Sumatra. Their deployment was expected to start in May and June.

"Recruitment is open to all, including dismissed workers, jobless university graduates and retired legislators. They will be full-timers and given monthly pay which will be a little higher than the (government-set) regional monthly minimum wages," he said.

Wiranto described the training program as similar to basic police training.

He pledged the militia would be deployed to help the police and not to handle mass demonstrations, a fear of many of its critics.

"There will be no confrontation between the militia and mass protesters." He added the militia's term of service would be less than two years.

Wiranto said the government allocated Rp 298 billion in the 1999/2000 State Budget for the civilian militia program.

Most of the funds will be used to recruit, train, deploy and pay members.

After the hearing, chief of the Military Justice System Maj. Gen. Timor P. Manurung lashed out at the National Commission of Human Rights for its call for a halt to the trial of 11 members of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) involved in the kidnapping of prodemocracy activists last year.

"The rights body's call is baseless because the tribunal has already accepted the 11 troops' dossiers," he said.

Quoting the 1970 law on the military court, Manurung said that no institutions nor government officials, including a president, had the authority to cancel the trial.

"The tribunal must go ahead because it is in accordance with the law."

The right body in its annual report released on Wednesday urged the military to halt the trial, alleging it infringed on the rights of the defendants and plaintiffs.

It claimed the trial was unfair and was prejudiced in favor of the kidnap victims.

According to the rights body, former Kopassus chiefs Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto and Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwoprandjono should be held responsible for the kidnapping because the lower-rank officers could have only carried out their orders.

Manurung declined to answer when asked why Prabowo and Muchdi were not being tried.

Prabowo admitted before a Military Honor Council to the abduction of nine activists. (rms)