Police returning to state terrorism: Hasnan Habib

Police returning to state terrorism: Hasnan Habib

The recent police raid on the Asia-Pacific Labor Solidarity
Conference on Neoliberalism and an attack by an anticommunist
group on its participants, including dozens of foreigners,
indicate that authorities have again employed state terrorism,
says Let. Gen. (ret.) Hasnan Habib.

Question: Did the National Police apply the New Order's
repressive methods when they raided and detained participants of
the Asia-Pacific conference in Sawangan on the outskirts of
Jakarta on Friday?

Hasnan: The police personnel who raided the conference were
even ruder than the New Order authorities, particularly because
they treated the participants, including some 30 foreigners, just
like common criminals when they brought them to the city police
intelligence department. The police's excuse that the raid was
part of their measures to strengthen security ahead of the
special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) was
absurd and unrealistic because the participants had no intention
of disrupting the MPR's special session, scheduled to begin on
Aug. 1.

Was the attack on the conference participants by the Angkatan
Muda Ka'bah (a youth group affiliated to the United Development
Party or PPP) also an imitation of the tyrannical practices
common in the New Order government?

Sure. That was an intimidation that can be called state
terrorism, under which the authorities, using their own force or
a third party, tried to repress people to comply with the
authorities' wishes.

How could the police make such a mistake? Is it because they
did not know the rules or because they were practicing politics?

It is because some of them still have the New Order mentality.
Referring to the social and political stability for 32 years
under the New Order government, some groups of officials still
consider that repression is absolutely right and is the best way
to scare people from trying to oppose the authorities.

Furthermore ... the police, as well as the Indonesian Military
(TNI), are still involved in actual politics, as proven by their
representation in the House of Representatives (DPR) and the MPR,
and they are reluctant to be dragged into President Abdurrahman
"Gus Dur" Wahid's personal conflict with the DPR.

Does the incident indicate the possible return of the New
Order government, in terms of its people or its way of governing
the country, to power again?

Even though some groups of people, as I have heard, say that
political conditions under former president Soeharto's New Order
government were far better than now, I don't think it's possible
for the New Order government to return to power.

It is true that during the Soeharto era, political conditions
were extraordinarily stable and people could predict what might
happen in the future, while conditions now are vulnerable and
everything is unpredictable, but we will never be able to turn
the clock back. We have now made changes toward democratization,
such as in the freedom of expression, of speech and of assembly.

The international community, particularly countries assisting
us to recover from the economic crisis, also want us to continue
the process toward democracy.

If New Order elements return to power, that means that we will
return to authoritarianism. That is impossible because the power
of the TNI is now very limited and the people, particularly the
youth, do not want the military to return to power.

But New Order elements in the DPR and within the bureaucracy
are still very strong.

We can say that New Order elements at the House include
representatives of the Golkar Party, the PPP and the Indonesian
Democratic Party, as well as some Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle officials but ... they have changed their attitude and
do not want the return of the authoritarian regime. Golkar is not
as strong as it used to be, particularly after the TNI withdrew
its membership (from the party).

Gus Dur's way of governing the country sometimes seems to be
like the style of the New Order regime. Is it because he has been
trapped by political circumstances?

Gus Dur is actually more authoritarian than the leader of the
New Order government. It's ironical that Gus Dur, the cofounder
of the (private) Forum for Democracy which struggled hard for the
establishment of democracy in Indonesia, is himself undemocratic.
When he was elected as president in 1999, the local and
international community expected that Indonesia, under his
leadership, would become the world's third largest democratic
country after India and the United States.

But, Gus Dur apparently does not know how to apply the
principles of democracy. Evidence shows that he always makes
decisions by himself, without consulting his aides in the
Cabinet, nor the House of Representatives, when necessary.

Is that what has caused political conflict between Gus Dur and
the House?

Partly, yes. House members have also made mistakes. Political
euphoria has made them think that they can solve any state
problems and that all parties, including the President, have to
abide by their whims. For example, the Constitution states that
the President is the head of the military but in contradiction he
needs approval from the House if he wants to appoint a commander
in chief of the TNI. (Rikza Abdullah)