No political bickering, please

No political bickering, please

Looking at the situation in our country at this moment makes
me very sad. What has become of the Indonesia we love so much and
for which we are mentally and physically ready to sacrifice our
lives. Where are the happy Indonesians, full of love and
understanding, working together in the spirit of mutual help
(gotong royong) to create a prosperous Indonesia?

What I see now are sad faces full of tears, because they have
lost their loved ones, killed by unknown persons; lost their
houses, burned down by unknown gangs; and they have not enough to
eat for themselves and their children.

They don't know whether they will still be able to see the sun
rising tomorrow. Why all these tragedies?

Is it because of the misinterpretation of democracy? Is it
because of the political bickering of the elite politicians? Is
it because of the misplaced ambitions? Is it because of the
unclear strategic direction of our state leadership?

Are we suddenly becoming barbarians and following the law of
the jungle? It seems that the impulsive answer to all these
problems is to create new bodies in addition to the already
existing ones.

Corruption is rampant. A new corruption-fighting body has been
created with a well known retired Supreme Court judge as
chairman. The economy is stagnant. New bodies have been created;
one is chaired by Prof. Emil Salim, another by Jusuf Wanandi.
When disappointment after disappointment about the state
leadership emerges, new bodies are created, like the one chaired
by Eros Djarot. A new baby, soon to be born, is fathered by an
honorable social figure, Nurcholish Madjid. An ombudsman has been
created and perhaps many more will follow.

Is this the answer to a splintered political atmosphere of
Indonesia? Or will this add to the existing problems. Not to
mention the existing nonpolitical organizations coming to life
only intending to be moral pressure groups like Center for
Information and Development Studies(CIDES), Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS), Advisory Group in Economy,
Industry and Trade (ECONIT), Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW),
and what not. God only knows.

It is not because of the fact that I am a retired military
member that I still think the only coherent, united force is the
military. The Indonesian Military (TNI) has a clear line of
command, has discipline and a clear pattern of responsibility. I
know that TNI has a bad political reputation, a heritage of the
New Order, and I still feel that civilians harbor the fear that
the TNI might make a comeback to the political arena. To calm the
civilians' fear of a comeback, TNI has pledged that they will
completely leave the political arena and concentrate on becoming
professional soldiers in charge of the defense of Indonesia and
stop their role in domestic security which will be handled by the
police.

The political parties are trying to weaken TNI by disclosing
the nonexistence of rival groups within the military, encouraging
the growth of suspicion among the generals, exposing violations
of human rights by TNI and trying to interfere in the military's
internal matters. Political parties propose that transfers and
tours of duty for generals should get the approval of the House
of Representatives.

Please don't disturb the unity of TNI, because the military is
everybody's friend and has real patriots that can be relied upon
in time of crises to help. Lately, I read in a newspaper an
appeal for the political parties to stop bickering among
themselves because this might create a reason for TNI to come
back. This appeal is good, because with it this bickering which
adds to the existing problems might end and I, as an ex-TNI
member, feel we are still a force to be reckoned with.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta