No rift in the military

No rift in the military

Recent political developments show a continuous focus on the
role of the Indonesian military (TNI) from the New Order regime
to the current reform era. The criticism is not always
accompanied by wisdom. Instead there is a lot of cynicism and
suspicion, making the role of the TNI in society problematic.

It can be seen from various aspersions and invectives directed
at their role, the lack of trust in the new paradigm of the TNI
that has implemented an internal reform. The criticism further
dwells on the legitimacy of the TNI in the House of
Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR), mainly with regard to the 38 voting rights allotted to the
TNI in the presidential election in the MPR General Session in
1999.

The reactualization, the repositioning and the redefinition of
the TNI during the reform era are considered only half-hearted.
In my opinion this is not the case because the reform conducted
by the TNI is not immediate and integral but gradual and in
phases. This is not sufficiently understood by many sides.

Apparently the efforts to shake the TNI do not stop there.
Rumors circulate that upheavals are taking place among senior
officers in the TNI in fighting for strategic positions in the
Army. One rumor difficult to grasp and doubtful is that the TNI's
territorial chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
is annoyed with Gen. Wiranto for not appointing Yudhoyono army
chief of staff, and that he made several political moves to try
to gain the position.

The rumors on the upheaval among senior TNI officers has in my
opinion a certain objective, i.e., mainly to shake the TNI and to
sow discord that will lead to a rift in the military. If that
happens the TNI's credibility will slide further in the
community's eyes and the TNI will play an increasingly small role
in politics in the future. That strategy will possibly be
implemented because it is seen as the most effective to eliminate
the TNI's role.

I am convinced that the rumored upheaval within the TNI are
only imagined and not based on facts. The principle of loyalty of
the staff to the superior within the TNI makes it the only
organization that is the most compact and solid in Indonesia.

RAHMAT SUDEWO

Jakarta