PKB unveils its own TNI bill

PKB unveils its own TNI bill

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

A legislator from PKB has proposed that the Indonesian
Military (TNI), for which a bill is currently being deliberated
by the House, be placed under the control of the Ministry of
Defense.

The proposal is being made to ensure that there will be no
political rivalry among soldiers and that they can focus on
pursuing professionalism, Effendy Choirie of the National
Awakening Party (PKB) said on Wednesday.

Currently, the TNI and the TNI commander report directly to
the president.

"Should the TNI be put under the control of the defense
ministry, the TNI commander will only implement the policy of the
ministry," he said.

The idea is part of PKB's proposal to the House of
Representatives, he said, claiming that his faction's version of
the TNI bill was superior to the government's.

TNI Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has said that he
objected to the idea of putting the military under the defense
ministry as the nation had not completed its transition toward
democracy. It needs time, he says, for civilian politicians to
become more mature. The ministry has been led by a civilian since
1999.

Effendy said his faction's version of the bill was based on
four principles: professionalism, humanitarianism, civil
supremacy, and transparency. The bill is also criticized for
overlooking the welfare of soldiers.

The deliberation of the TNI bill has created a heated polemic
with analysts expressing fears that the bill, if passed, could
revive the political role of the military. The military was a
formidable political force under Soeharto's 30-year rule that
ended in 1998.

Some analysts have suggested that the House delay the
deliberation of the bill and hand it over it to the new
legislators whose term will begin in October.

House factions will meet with the government on Aug. 24.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri whose Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P) controls the biggest number of seats in
the House has told lawmakers not to rush the bill's deliberation.

House Speaker and Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung said that the
lawmakers needed more input from the public before the meeting
with the government.

Effendy also said that the current territorial command of the
military must be modified into a defense command.

Currently, the TNI has branches from the provincial level down
to the subdistrict level in the villages. According to Effendy,
this line of command is subject to interference for political
ends.

"The duty of the TNI is simply to fight the enemy. The
structure of the TNI must be modified to prevent politicians from
using the defense force to mobilize support," he added.

Fellow PKB legislator Chatibul Umam Wiranu said that the TNI
should be positioned in at least four defense areas: Sumatra,
Java, Kalimantan-Sulawesi, and Maluku-Papua.

He said troop deployment should only be carried out in times
of war and under the command of the president.

A number of protest groups have raised objections to the bill.
Protesters from the Antimilitarism Alliance staged a rally
outside the House on Wednesday.

An activist said that the TNI had committed numerous mistakes
in the past, including the abduction of pro-democracy activists
in 1997 and involvement in political affairs. Soldiers, he said,
must focus on matters of defense.