President gives TNI a pep talk

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri urged the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Saturday to keep the country intact and said not to worry about accusations of human rights abuses in carrying out its work.

Megawati said such charges would be baseless as long as soldiers respected existing laws and the military's code of conduct, or Sapta Marga.

"Just do everything without hesitation and believe that as long as you keep it (the law) as your guide, you can carry out your duties without having to worry that you will violate human rights," she said in her speech at a ceremony marking the Army's Kartika Struggle Day.

The military has been accused of gross human rights violations in the troubled provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya as well in East Timor, which broke away from Indonesia in August 1999.

A special human rights court is due to open next month to try soldiers, police and civilians accused of crimes allegedly committed in East Timor in 1999.

Many have also questioned the military's efficacy in quelling communal and sectarian violence in the Maluku islands and Central Sulawesi, which has claimed thousands of lives over the last three years.

After the 1998 downfall of former dictator Soeharto, who ruled the country for 32 years with an iron fist, there was an outpouring of public resentment over the military's extensive roles, particularly in politics.

Human rights groups and victims of the military's brutality have demanded that troops be withdrawn from Aceh and Irian Jaya in a bid to stop violations there.

Army leaders have admitted that, on the one hand, the military has wanted to crush separatist rebels fighting for independence in several parts of the country, but on the other hand has often been worried about being accused of human rights abuses in cracking down on the rebel movements.

Megawati further told soldiers attending Saturday's ceremony that people may sometimes condemn them for various reasons, but at other times they may need them to prevent the country from breaking apart.

"Even if we are sometimes reluctant to show our need for the military's presence, we will suddenly be reminded that we need a force to protect our beloved country from disintegration," she said.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto gave a warm response to Megawati's speech, saying the remarks issued by the TNI supreme commander could be used to justify any decision by the military to contain conflicts.

Fourth president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid had once tried to promote dialogs between civilian and military figures as part of his efforts to boost the poor performance of the TNI, which was still controlled by anti-reform forces.

However, his measures created friction among the TNI's top brass, who mostly accused Gus Dur of having attempted to corner them.

Saturday's ceremony, marking the Army's 1945-1949 battle against the Dutch colonizers in Central Java, known as the Palagan Ambarawa conflict, was not in keeping with tradition -- no previous commemorations had been held in Jakarta and none had been led by the president.