'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)