Seats for ABRI in the legislature?

The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) has been carrying out the historical role of guarding the constitutional Indonesian state for more than 50 years. During this service, ABRI developed its (dual function) doctrine, which, though not unique, may be called distinctive. ABRI has provided justifications and assumed a sociopolitical function.

Many countries in Latin America and Africa, as well as a number of countries in Asia have also assigned a sociopolitical role to their armed forces. Each country has its own justification for doing so. However, with the progress of modernization and socioeconomic conditions, those countries have, one after another, gradually willingly relaxed, and eventually abandoned, the political role of their armed forces. Chile, Argentina, Mexico, in the past, Brazil and some other banana republics have abandoned that system and learned to live more democratically, conforming to universally accepted norms of constitutional life.

This repudiation of the military's dominant political role normally occurred after the armed forces showed a willingness to learn from the excesses that arose from the actual execution of its sociopolitical role. In those countries, the disadvantages involved proved to be greater than the benefits. Human rights violations committed by security officers tarnished the dignity and the good standing of soldiers who merely followed orders under strict military discipline. As it often turned out, orders were frequently carried out with excessive brutality.

It has been said that this dwifungsi (dual function) concept was born because ABRI could no longer tolerate the endless political bickering and the disarray that this caused here. In the 1980s, the ABRI leadership said it would go "back to basics", which gave the impression that it felt that ABRI's expanding (sociopolitical) role over the past 20 years since its inception was impairing the military's function as guardian of the people.

Now, in this era of reformation, the people are justified in expecting that their guardian will be disposed enough to ask: Is it necessary for ABRI to insist on getting 50 seats in the House of Representatives?

-- Republika, Jakarta