Rethinking ABRI's role

Rethinking ABRI's role

The time, it seems, has finally come for Indonesians to deal
in earnest with a subject that has been one of the nation's most
inviolate taboos for many decades: the so-called dwifungsi, or
dual function, of the Armed Forces (ABRI). For those unfamiliar
with the nation's contemporary history, a brief explanation is in
order. Apart from its traditional military role as the country's
guardian against outside threats of aggression, ABRI also assumes
responsibility under a second role for maintaining stability and
accord within the country.

ABRI looks to accomplish this latter task by exerting its
influence over the country's social and political life,
presumably, as the doctrine says, "to safeguard the state
ideology Pancasila and the Constitution". One of the most
frequently heard justifications for such an all-encompassing role
is ABRI's significant part in both fighting the Dutch and in
administering freed territories during the war for independence
from 1945 to 1949.

Events and developments over the past few decades, however,
have cast some doubt over ABRI's claim on the need for it to play
such a role in the country. ABRI has argued in the past that its
involvement in social and political life is needed to preserve
the nation's unity -- whether by acting as an "impartial" referee
in disputes or by the armed suppression of secessionist
insurgencies. However, as American political scientist Daniel S.
Lev notes, although the country faced rebellions during the 1950s
when ABRI's role was purely military, never were so many people
-- insurgents or dissidents -- killed in military operations as
under Soeharto's repressive New Order regime. Indeed, it can be
reasonably argued that the use of brutal force for so many years
has served to sustain rather than inhibit secessionist sentiments
in those regions. East Timor, Irian Jaya and Aceh are cases in
point.

The shocking human rights abuses by ABRI personnel that have
come to light in recent months -- ranging from enforced
disappearances and torture to shootings and, allegedly in some
cases, rape -- have dealt a serious blow to the military's
prestige. A recent survey of 600 respondents conducted by the
Jakarta weekly Kontan showed that more than 75 percent of those
questioned believed ABRI would not be able to control any serious
rioting in this country.

Under such circumstances, the growing public demand that
ABRI's dual role be redefined, if not terminated altogether, is
easy enough to understand. The question is whether ABRI will be
willing to freely give up at least some of the wide-ranging
powers and privileges it has been holding for so long.
Fortunately for Indonesians, ABRI's current leadership appears
accommodating enough to such demands. "What is best for the
people is best for ABRI," Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto
assured Indonesians recently.

Still, not all the signals ABRI is currently sending to the
public are very encouraging. ABRI, for example, still insists on
being given 50 appointed seats in the upcoming House of
Representatives. Then, too, the fact that ABRI's leadership
persists in putting the blame for recent human rights abuses on
oknum, or irresponsible individuals within its ranks, even though
low-ranking soldiers and senior officers appear to have been
involved, is seen by many as an indication that ABRI is not ready
to accept civilian control over its activities.

Indonesia is poised to enter the new global era soon. The
demands and the challenges this new era will bring make it
imperative that Indonesia joins the global drive toward
modernization or be left behind. The experience of more than half
a century of independence should teach us that, even with all its
shortcomings, true democracy is much more preferable than
authoritarian rule. A democratic system will help Indonesia move
closer to the goal of establishing a just and prosperous society
in the not too distant future. ABRI, of course, can make a
valuable contribution to attaining that goal by choosing, in Gen.
Wiranto's words, "what is best for the people".