New military paradigm

New military paradigm

From Media Indonesia

Now that people are every day of their lives concerned with
matters pertaining to security and public order -- especially
after the bloody May riot and similar riots in Ambon, Ketapang,
Kupang, Sambas, Aceh and elsewhere across the country -- the
above issue is worth posing to the Indonesian Military (TNI).
Amid intensified public euphoria in the run-up to the June 7,
1999, general election, the community's phobia for matters
related to security and order has assumed increasingly greater
prominence.

As members of this Indonesian nation, however, we must all be
aware that security is our responsibility and not solely the
military's. Therefore, if we need an atmosphere where the feeling
of security will prevail, the only way is to ensure that the June
7, 1999, general election is held peacefully. Political parties
taking part in the upcoming general election must immediately
devote their attention to handling problems related to security
and order. It will be so much better if political parties make
these problems the main theme of their campaigns.

One thing which must be remembered is that one should never
turn this main theme into mere rhetoric, but that one should try
to hypothetically state whether or not one is capable of
deterring or even removing something that threatens to disrupt
security and order. Security and order are the joint
responsibility of the community and TNI and the Indonesian Police
(Polri).

If we go over the history of the military in Indonesia, we can
see the military has undergone interesting developments. From the
inception of TNI in 1945, and then on to 1950, 1960 and the
present day, the changes TNI underwent have been highly
influenced by political affairs.

Admittedly, the structure of our military forces has, from the
revolution period in 1945 down to the present day, been tinkered
with, owing to certain political interests. The inclusion of the
Indonesian Police into the structure of the military in Indonesia
is an apt example of how political interests have influenced the
military structure. Everybody knows that the army is intended for
defensive purposes, while the police are meant to maintain public
order.

The inclusion of the police force into the military forces,
therefore, did not take place quite naturally. As a result, the
police were also required to be responsible for defense matters,
while TNI was concerned with problems relating to community
order. The inclusion of the police force into the structure of
the Armed Forces made it easy for TNI to be politicized.

In the present reform era, the separation of the police from
the Indonesian Armed Forces, as from April 1, 1999, is something
that must be gladly welcomed. Hopefully this separation is in
line with the new paradigm of TNI and is not simply a solution or
a hypothesis.

ZULASRIL, NA

Jakarta