'RI culture receptive' to ABRI's dual function

'RI culture receptive' to ABRI's dual function

JAKARTA (JP): Despite increasing demands that the Armed
Forces' political role be abolished, a noted sociologist said it
would continue given the tolerant nature of the Indonesian
culture.

Ignas Kleden, speaking at a discussion on the military on
Saturday, said because the Indonesian culture was "accommodative"
to the military's presence in politics, the controversial dual
function doctrine would continue to pervade modern political
behavior here.

The Armed Forces (ABRI) has pledged to "redefine" its role
toward a reduced sociopolitical role.

"This is because feudalism in Indonesia is accommodative to
the application of ABRI's dual role in defense and politics and
this has happened through so-called military feudalization," he
said.

The seminar on ABRI's dual function from the cultural
perspective was held by the Driyarkara School of Philosophy.

Governor of the National Resilience Institute Agum Gumelar was
also scheduled to speak but did not show up.

Ignas also said: "Apart from the historic fact and the
national consensus on ABRI's political role, the military ethos
and discipline is in fact in contradiction with democracy."

The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) recently issued a
decree stipulating the gradual expulsion of ABRI from the lower
House.

Ignas said further that "military feudalization" came from the
concept of the noble in the Hindu and Javanese traditions which
gave the noble (satria) a dual function in defense and
politics/governance.

"In the feudalist tradition, aristocrats are trained to have
skills both in administration and military and, therefore, a
political leader who has followers and who also has a role as a
war leader," he said.

The dual function was therefore part of the feudalization of
the military and civil servants, who should serve the public, he
said.

Separately, Moslem activist Idrus Marham was quoted by Antara
as saying that demands for the expulsion of ABRI from the lower
House were triggered by "distorted information" of the dual
function and by certain military men's violations of human
rights.

"Because of distortion of information, the public can no
longer differentiate ABRI as an institution and ABRI people as
individuals," said the chairman of the Coordination of Indonesian
Mosque Activists in Jakarta on Saturday.

He pointed out how over the years the public was witness to
the practice where military personnel were exploited to back
businesses or other enterprises.

"There's a wide gap between the concept of the military's dual
function with the behavior of ABRI personnel," he said. (rms)