MPR told to review decree on police and military roles

Abu Hanifah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) was urged on Tuesday to review its Decree No.7/2000 that regulates the respective roles of the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) following their separation in a bid to eliminate any "gray areas" that have hampered the decree's implementation.

"The MPR has to revoke the decree and start discussions on a new decree to replace it," Ikrar Nusabakti, a political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said on the sidelines of a book discussion here.

He said that instead of creating clear-cut guidelines, the decree had caused rifts between the police and the military because neither of them have been really sure about their jurisdictions since their separation in July 2000.

Citing the government's "regrettable" decision to deploy police to quell the separatist problem in Aceh and the deployment of TNI troops to cope with the sectarian conflict in Maluku, Ikrar said that government had misinterpreted the decree.

"Dealing with armed movements should actually be the duty of the TNI," Ikrar pointed out.

Under the decree, the police are assigned the duty of maintaining security and public order, upholding the law, providing security for civilians and providing public service, while the military is tasked with taking care of the defense role and maintaining the country's unity.

Ikrar reiterated that the new decree should contain a clear- cut explanation to avoid misinterpretation.

Human rights campaigner Hendardi of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) shared Ikrar's opinion, saying that the review should be carried out along with the revoking of the military's dual function.

"This is so as to guarantee that the military will only carry out the defense function," Hendardi said, adding that this dual function had become the root of the police-military problem.

Hendardi also criticized the police's position under the president, saying that this could drag the police into political affairs as happened during Abdurrahman Wahid's administration.

"In other countries, they are managed and supervised by home affairs or justice ministers and the House of Representatives," Hendardi said.