Soldiers' loyalty being questioned

Soldiers' loyalty being questioned

Lela E. Madjiah
The Jakarta Post
Ambon

Indonesian military personnel serving in Maluku face a tough
choice: Remain loyal to the republic or leave the military.

The option was offered by Army Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad) Chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu during a one-day visit
to Ambon on May 20.

"If you prefer fighting for your place of origin or religion
to being loyal to the state and the military, please leave the
service," Ryamizard told the troops of Kostrad's 503rd Battalion,
which is currently deployed in the province, at the Mahardika
square in the city on Tuesday.

"The security forces are the nation's last line in defending
the country's sovereignty as well as protecting its people,
regardless of their religion and ethnic background," added
Ryamizard, who ordered tough sanctions against deserters and
soldiers who took sides with the warring parties.

Ryamizard has every reason to be tough on his troops. It is
obvious that one factor behind the prolonged ethno-religious
conflict in Maluku is failure of the security forces to remain
neutral.

Under normal circumstances, if the state were facing a foreign
enemy and loyalty of the troops were 100 percent guaranteed,
Ryamizard's order would sound absurd. However, Maluku is not a
normal situation. Troops are dealing with people they know, even
their own flesh and blood.

This is not the first time soldiers have faced a heart-rending
situation. The history of the republic is replete with
secessionist movements that have sacrificed thousands of lives,
both civilian and military, to keep the nation intact. All those
struggles against armed separatist movements have also caused
pain because they divided people who were once brothers and
sisters into opposing camps.

The 13-year Darul Islam rebellion (1949-1962), for example,
pitted government troops against the rebels, who had once fought
alongside the military against Dutch colonial troops. More than
that, both the rebels and many in the military shared the same
background, having come from similar hometowns, sharing a
language and a religion. During the fight against Darul Islam
rebels in West Java, a Muslim stronghold, government troops faced
an elusive and tough enemy that enjoyed support from the
population because of its religious sentiment.

To ensure combat effectiveness, the government then deployed
troops from outside Java to West Java to fight the Darul Islam
rebels. At the same time, troops from Java were sent to Sumatra
and Sulawesi to crush the PRRI/Permesta (Pemerintah Revolusioner
Republik Indonesia/Perjuangan Semesta Alam) rebellion.

The situation in Maluku today is not exactly the same, as
troops are not dealing with rebels, apart from those in the
South Maluku Republic separatist movement. However, there are
similarities between the situation in Maluku and the era when TNI
had to quell various rebellions.

As in the past, religious and ethnic issues play a dominant
factor in the Maluku conflict. On one hand soldiers must tread
carefully along those lines, for otherwise they will not get
popular support and will only create new enemies. On the other,
they must be firm in dealing with armed civilians. The order is
to take action against any armed civilian, although in reality
that is not as simple as it might sound. This is especially true
for soldiers at the military command (Kodam), who are mostly
locals. Even if they don't take sides with the conflicting camps,
it is understandable for them to sympathize with either camp for
reasons of religious or cultural empathy.

Apart from that, it is difficult for soldiers to maintain
loyalty to the state when their own lives are under threat. In
Maluku military personnel have been threatened into taking sides,
otherwise their lives and those of their families would be
jeopardized.

"They (Christian and Muslim groups) threaten soldiers into
joining them. Muslim or Christian militia would not hesitate to
kill soldiers who refuse to fight on their side. Quite a few
soldiers and policemen have been coerced into fighting for one
camp or the other through fear for their own lives or those of
their families," an Army colonel told The Jakarta Post.

Ryamizard's "ultimatum" is also a wake-up call to a harsh
reality: That the Indonesian Military (TNI) has failed to command
the loyalty of its troops. Haven't the troops pledged loyalty to
the nation and the people, regardless of their ethnicity and
religion, instead of to their religion or ethnicity?
This is an issue TNI has to address, because failure to deal with
this problem will not only cost TNI its troops but will also
place the nation in jeopardy. When TNI, and the police, fail to
provide protection for all and remain neutral in communal
conflicts, then fears of disintegration will materialize into
reality.

As part of an attempt to solve this problem, TNI has started
sending local personnel out of the area and sending in soldiers
from outside Maluku.

"We have also asked personnel not to join locals in performing
their religious duties. Instead, we hold our own services, both
for Muslims and Christians," said Lt. Col. Tri S., commander of
Kostrad's 503rd Battalion.

He said the policy was enforced to ensure the soldiers'
neutrality.

"Once they worshiped alongside locals at the mosque or church,
they would have emotional ties with the local people that would
be difficult to sever," he explained.

According to Tri, the key to ending the conflict in Maluku was
for security forces to be firm and neutral.

"We can't do that when our own soldiers are divided along
religious and ethnic lines. We must first 'clean' ourselves from
divisive elements before we perform our task," he said.

Pattimura Military chief Brig. Gen. Mustopo, meanwhile, said
he would approach the issue carefully.

"We must have proof (before accusing someone of
impartiality)," he told reporters, following Ryamizards' order.

So far no member of the Pattimura Military command has been
charged with partiality.

"There have been violations, but not serious ones like
desertion, and the number is less than 20," he said.

However, an Army source said there were over 100 soldiers who
had "defected" to their communities for fear of reprisal from
their own people. They also took their weapons and ammunition
with them, said the source.

His revelation explains Ryamizard's tough statement, but, as
Mustopo said, it was a delicate matter that required more than
just decisiveness, but wisdom as well.