RI military turning its back on reform movement
RI military turning its back on reform movement
Lee Kim Chew, The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore
Thinking of reforms in the Indonesian military? Banish the
thought -- for now at least.
To the chagrin of many Indonesians, the country's once-
omnipotent generals are seeking new laws to enhance a power that
was whittled down after former president Soeharto's fall.
The generals are pushing for a controversial bill which, among
other things, authorizes the military commander to deploy troops
in an emergency without the President's approval.
The Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, argues that
the military's internal role should be restored to deal with the
threat of separatism and other security problems -- a sharp
reminder of the dwifungsi role (the dual function as a security-
cum-sociopolitical force) the military had during Soeharto times.
Politicians and academics say this will set back the
democratization process to put the military firmly under civilian
authority.
Going by the current trend, the fate of military reforms seems
clear: This far and no further.
Whatever that could be done was done at the peak of the
reformist fervor during the Gus Dur presidency, but this mood has
largely dissipated and few military reforms are expected from
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration.
The most significant changes in the military's fortunes after
the fall of then-president Soeharto in 1998 are the end of its
dwifungsi role; the removal of about 2,000 military
representatives from the central and regional parliaments; the
removal of 3,000 to 4,000 active military officers from the
bureaucracy; the separation of the military from the former
ruling Golkar party; and the removal of the police from military
control.
Provincial governors and district heads are no longer
appointed, thus making it much harder for retired military men to
hold such posts.
Since the loss of East Timor, the trial of military officers
in the civilian courts for human rights abuses subjects them to
the rule of law.
These are substantial changes which pare down the military's
influence, notes Dr Harold Crouch, a specialist on the Indonesian
military at the Australian National University in Canberra.
He says: "Many military officers might be unhappy about the
reforms, but they seem to have accepted them.
"However, the prospects of further reform -- particularly, the
dismantling of the territorial system and the removal of control
of domestic intelligence from the military -- are not strong, not
to speak of reforming the military budget."
Thus, key areas have been left untouched, even though the
abolition of military representation in parliament is a major
step towards democratic reform.
The dwifungsi concept may have been scrapped officially, but
the truth is that Indonesia's military has never really abandoned
it.
Historian John Roosa, guest editor of Inside Indonesia, a
quarterly magazine produced by Australian scholars, notes: "They
all still believe that the military should have a policing role
within Indonesia, meaning at least that the territorial structure
should remain intact."
One of the most crucial questions is whether the territorial
command structure, which extends military control right down to
the villages, is going to be dismantled.
The military is not keen on this because it reduces the ambit
of its authority throughout the Indonesian archipelago. A smaller
turf will also cut into its wide-ranging business interests, from
which the military derives income for its budget.
Under intense public pressure, some generals have toyed with
the idea of introducing gradual reforms to the territorial
command by withdrawing troops from the lowest rung first, and
from certain regions that are peaceful.
But this never happened.
Their powers have been curtailed somewhat with the formal
separation of the military and police roles. The division of
labour, however, aggravates a turf war between the two sides over
their commercial projects and protection rackets.
Since President Megawati took office in 2001, the top military
brass has stopped contemplating reforms, says Roosa.
What the generals want now is non-interference from the
civilians in military matters, particularly in the way they raise
funds and plan their budget. Strong political leadership is
needed to impose its will on the military, but this is not on the
cards.
To be sure, the Indonesian military's stalled reforms will
adversely affect its image, which is already battered by its East
Timor atrocities and its excesses in Aceh and Papua.
But Indonesia's generals, who have mostly got over the crisis
facing their institution in the wake of East Timor's
independence, aren't particularly bothered. This is yet another
reason for the status quo.
"I don't see any sign of reform in the near future," says
Roosa.