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.