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)