More analysts give thumbs-down to military bill

More analysts give thumbs-down to military bill

Tiarma Siboro and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two more military analysts have criticized the draft law on the
military currently being prepared by the government, saying the
bull, which gives more power to the military, could jeopardize
democracy.

Daniel Sparringa of Airlangga University in Surabaya, East
Java, said the bill was a reflection of the generals' distaste
for civilian supremacy over the military.

"It is a setback to the ongoing democratization process, which
makes the military subordinate to civilians. Therefore, all
policies on the military, including the deployment of personnel
anywhere in the country, must be regulated by the state," he told
The Jakarta Post by telephone on Monday.

He acknowledged that the military had monopolized three
concepts: Pancasila as the state's single ideology, the unitary
state and nationhood.

Daniel was commenting on Article 19 of the draft law giving
the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief authority to deploy personnel
in emergencies without the need for presidential approval.

Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, a military analyst from the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI), criticized the draft law on Sunday,
saying it contravened the 1945 Constitution and democratic
principles.

Salim Said, another military observer, concurred and said that
according to the Constitution, the president in his/her capacity
as head of state was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces
-- Army, Navy and Air Force-- and the only party allowed to
declare war.

"Based on our Constitution, the military must comply with
political decisions made by the state (represented by the
government and the House of Representatives). Thus the president
is the supreme commander of the military. This also includes the
deployment of armed forces.

"So, it is quite ridiculous if the TNI commander is allowed to
deploy personnel without any approval from the president, for
whatever reason," Salim told the Post.

Separately, the secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Vice
Marshall Suprihadi, said the ministry had set up a team to review
the bill, which has been handed over to the state secretariat.

Declining to directly comment on the controversial issues,
Suprihadi said that power over the armed forces was still in the
hands of president.

He added that the government was determined to have the bill
passed into law this year.

Earlier, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu voiced a
controversial demand for the Army's possible return to its former
functions in security matters, in addition to the defense
function.

Commenting to Ryamizard's statement, Salim said that he could
not blame the Army should it demand a greater role in maintaining
security at home, but stressed that all things concerning the
military should be determined by the government and the House of
Representatives (read: civilians).