Minister Mahfud's proposal on military sparks criticisms

Minister Mahfud's proposal on military sparks criticisms

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators on Friday slammed Minister of
Defense Mahfud M.D. for proposing a review of two MPR decrees on
the separation of the Indonesian Military and the National
Police, charging that the minister had no understanding of the
reform agenda.

People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais questioned
whether such a proposal was a government, military or personal
initiative.

"The point is that Mahfud is too hasty in making such a
statement. He should understand the decrees issued in 2000 were
issued to reform the military and the National Police and the
government's task is not to make proposals but to execute all
things decided by the people," he said here on Friday.

On Thursday, Mahfud called on the Assembly to review the two
decrees because they did not match the defense concept inserted
in the draft law on defense being prepared by the government.

He said both the Indonesian Military and the National Police
should be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense,
instead of the president and the military should be given
authority to handle security affairs at home.

Rambe Kamarulzaman, chairman of the Assembly's Ad Hoc
committee on decree affairs, said it showed that Mahfud did not
understand the reform agenda.

"The separation between the military and the National Police
and of their own functions is part of the reform agenda to
improve their professionalism," he said.

He said the military chief should be subordinate to the
president who is supreme commander of the Indonesian Military and
of the National Police as stipulated by the constitution.

Rambe, a Golkar Party legislator, said the police was
separated from the military structure because its function is to
maintain security and that it was not a combat force.

"The decrees also allow the military to help police maintain
security, especially in a state of emergency," he said.

Aberson Marle Sihaloho, an outspoken legislator of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said
the government should remain within the parameters of the two
decrees in designing the bill on defense.

"Democracy will not develop if the military is allowed again
to interfere in security affairs," he said.(rms)