Plan to review ABRI's role meet mixed reactions

JAKARTA (JP): Army generals want the Armed Forces (ABRI) to give Golkar greater independence, a military analyst said yesterday.

J. Kristiadi of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the generals were concerned by ABRI's partiality toward the dominant Golkar. This was indicated by their call to evaluate the implementation of the soldiers' oath Sapta Marga.

Kristiadi lauded the call issued by some 200 generals, both active and retired, at the end of their three-day reunion in Bandung Sunday. The generals were 1951-1961 graduates of the Army Staff and Command School (Seskoad).

Kristiadi said Army seniors also want to evaluate the non- military role of the Armed Forces.

"As a citizen I can't accept the fact that ABRI backs Golkar. ABRI is not supposed to take sides with any political parties," he said. "Let's hope that after the evaluation, ABRI would be able to refine the way it implements its dual-function."

The dual-function doctrine, known as Dwifungsi, forms the basis for the Armed Forces to play both security and political roles. It is the reason why officers occupied a great number of civilian posts such as governors or mayors.

The Armed Forces needs to question whether the dual-function has helped Indonesia become a more democratic country. Only through such a contemplation could the Armed Forces better define its identity and perception of itself.

"As long as ABRI calls itself the cadre of Golkar, it denies its own reason for existence," he said.

A number of Armed Forces top brass, including Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono, openly expressed their support for the bureaucracy-backed Golkar last year.

According to Kristiadi, when the Armed Forces helped found Golkar in 1964, it was aiming to make it an independent political organization. He said that between 1982 and 1987, ABRI tried to make Golkar more self-reliant.

"The trend experienced a setback in the 1990s," he said.

The seven-point oath consists of the soldiers' pledge to be responsible patriots, obey superiors, and to keep their word. The first three points of the oath constitute the basis for the Armed Forces' sociopolitical function -- which enables it to play a non-military role in the community, while the remaining four form the basis for its security and defense role.

Another military analyst, Yahya Muhaimin of the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said that "the military should stay neutral in politics (in order to be better able) to meet the challenges of the 21st century".

He agreed it is important to evaluate how ABRI has been implementing its oath. "The Armed Forces needs a new set of mentality for its members, one that is different from the one prevailing in the 1960s," he said.

"ABRI needs to be more responsive, dynamic, constructive, and it should belong to the people," he said.

Legislator Hari Sabarno of the Armed Forces faction at the House of Representatives said an evaluation of the way ABRI has been implementing its oath has nothing to do with the military's closeness with Golkar.

"The call is just that, a reminder for the Armed Forces of its norms," he said.

He said the Armed Forces' proximity to Golkar should be seen as "tentative policy for the sake of a greater interest".

He argued that ABRI members are already moving toward the ideal, namely dedicating their lives as patriots and soldiers for the country. (aan)