Soldiers jeopardize democracy

By Desi Anwar

JAKARTA (JP): The tragedy that is taking place in East Timor is an insult not only to the East Timorese, who have clearly expressed their desire for independence, but also to the Indonesian people, who have struggled to put the country on the path of democracy and learn to adopt democratic values that respect freedom and human rights for all.

Indonesia's efforts at democratization continue to be thwarted and the hopes for a more enlightened civil society dashed as the country becomes hostage once again to the evil maneuverings of those who cannot see beyond the horizons of their own selfish political interests or their daredevil foolhardiness.

The international community is rightly outraged at the seemingly senseless persecution of the East Timorese people. Indonesians can only feel shame at the tragedy, at their own impotence, at the fact that this sprawling and huge nation of over 200 million people is nothing but a playground for a bunch of petty-minded armed bullies and incompetent self-serving politicians who lack the means to control them.

Unlike in most countries, the Indonesian Military with its peculiar dual-function (holding both the sword and the plowshare) evolved from being the savior to becoming the scourge of the nation.

Lacking external enemies and sophisticated toys to amuse themselves with, for decades the threat of communism, national instability and disintegration had been the mantra used to subdue and hypnotize the population into putting up with and perpetuating the military dictatorship of the New Order government.

The idea was to herd the quarrelsome populace onto the path of unity and harmony for the sake of the nation's integrity. The practice was to force civilians into silent obedience by all means possible.

When the country prospered economically, the military even more so. The top brass had the power, the biggest slice of the country's wealth and the best civilian posts. The lower ranks contented themselves with terrorizing, robbing and raping helpless civilians. Taking their cue from the supreme commander, sycophants were rewarded while critics denounced and put away. Human rights violations went unnoticed and unchecked as the eyes of the world detected nothing but a seemingly gentle sleeping giant.

Indonesia's push for democracy sounded the death knell for the military. A civilian rule means the soldiers would eventually have to go back to the barracks and wave goodbye to all their civilian privileges, wealth, power, status and influence. Without adequate payback or recompense they are unlikely to do so quietly.

Moreover, the military doubts the ability of civilians to properly maintain law and order, let alone the sacred unity of the country.

It must also be remembered that it was not the sight of the students demonstrating on the roof of the House of Representatives that forced president Soeharto to resign, but the withdrawal of support from his chief of the Armed Forces. This means that, until they say otherwise, civilians could only govern with the blessing and support of the military.

If there is a struggle within the military, it is not the struggle of conscience or respect for human rights but the struggle of how best to position themselves in a society that increasingly has no room for warlike armed men in their midst. Condemned and disgraced, they face a serious existential crisis. Some put on civilian clothes, call themselves democratic and engage in politics. Others light dangerous fires so they can make a show of putting them out and make their presence felt.

Indeed, from the end of the New Order regime in May 1998 until now, Indonesia's attempts at reform and democratization have been side-tracked and in many instances sabotaged by a series of events that have the fingerprints of the military all over them.

These include the kidnapping, torturing and shooting of students, the orchestrated May 1998 riots and rapes, the mysterious and bloody killings of hundreds of religious teachers in Banyuwangi, East Java, and other areas in Java, the continuing massacre of hundreds of civilians in Aceh and the rapes of their women, the oppression of Irian Jaya and the flare of religious and ethnic conflicts in places that have only known peace.

From these never-ending tragedies, thousands are forced to flee. They are made homeless and pushed into a life of fear and deprivation. Subjected to such violence and oppression in many corners of the archipelago, many fail to enjoy or see the benefits of unity and integration, and clamor for self- governance.

Meanwhile, for many in the military, losing East Timor, a place they considered their own where many of them have died to save it from the clutches of communism, is the biggest form of humiliation and proof that a civilian-led government with democratic ideals is not in the country's best interests. Having fed off the region for so long, a quiet exit has never been on their agenda. This is partly out of revenge and partly as a warning to other provinces with similar aspirations.

Once again ordinary Indonesians have to witness the military acting as firefighters for fires of their own making. It is a game of spite, violence and contempt that Indonesians know only too well but are too impotent, and the leaders too disorganized and divisive, to prevent. Except this time the mistake of the military was to play the game with those who are ultimately not Indonesians -- the East Timorese. It is a game that is not tolerated in the respectable circles of the international community, and with the world's eyes focused on Indonesia, the country must be brought to task for condoning such an act.

However, to be honest, the nation is so bogged down in its own problems that severe international censures will most likely fall on deaf ears, or set off unwelcome jingoistic fervor among some that are so demoralized that their misplaced pride is the only thing left to hang onto.

Meanwhile, as the present government reels under the weight of its own incompetence and is battered by domestic lynching and international condemnation, once again the military succeeds in stealing the upper hand.

This time however, what is at stake here is more than just Indonesia's name and its position in the international community. It is the fragile infant of democracy that the new generation of Indonesians has given birth to with much struggle and loss of lives and to which they pin their hopes for a better and peaceful future. Whether this infant survives or dies a premature death is now the question that no one seems able to answer.

The writer is a journalist and columnist based in Jakarta.

Window: ...Indonesia's attempts at reform and democratization have been side-tracked and in many instances sabotaged by a series of events that have the fingerprints of the military all over them.

It is the fragile infant of democracy that the new generation of Indonesians has given birth to with much struggle and loss of lives and to which they pin their hopes for a better and peaceful future.