Soldiers' unholy war
Soldiers' unholy war
After a two month pause, students returned to the streets of
Jakarta last week, while security personnel also reappeared to
demonstrate their inclination for unnecessary violence.
Although we are not referring to a boxing bout, it is a common
outcome that one party ends up black and blue. There are no
prizes for guessing which group is on the receiving end.
In an attempt to quash a street protest last Thursday,
soldiers and police not only apprehended demonstrators on the
street, they also chased students onto the campus of a private
educational institution on Jl. Matraman Raya, Central Jakarta.
On the campus young people were beaten arbitrarily: in the
canteen or the musholla (small mosque). Blood was seen on the
floor of the musholla.
Some of the students were hospitalized. Others were placed in
police custody and later fined in a summary court session.
Members of the press were allegedly repeatedly beaten by
security personnel despite displaying press cards. An officer
involved in one of the incidents, allegedly told a journalist
that negative press was pushing the military into a corner.
Journalist associations and human rights groups registered
strongly worded protests to authorities, while a student
delegation filed a complaint on Monday with the National
Commission on Human Rights.
The incident -- particularly the beating of press members --
provoked a swift response from Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen.
Wiranto. He said stern action would be taken against the security
personnel involved.
Demands issued by military police at the scene did not deter
some of the soldiers and riot police from their beatings. The
clash is doubly shocking because it occurred only four months
after an incident in which students and members of the press were
struck savagely.
The latest episode is a reminder of pervasive disciplinary
defects within the military. Rogue elements of the military have
been involved in bloody incidents elsewhere in the country.
However, the continual mishandling of street demonstrators in
Jakarta, the seat of central government and the site of ABRI
Headquarters, is ominous.
The violent clash indicates that some soldiers' mentality is
not in tune with democratic reforms sweeping the country. They
remain a product of the New Order regime, during which power was
wielded in a neocolonial style and people were treated as objects
of little worth.
ABRI leaders have a tendency to defend the untoward activities
of their personnel. They often describe their soldiers as
ordinary human beings, who are as easily provoked at the end of
their exhausting hours of duty.
This exercise in comparison neglects a crucial requirement:
that in all circumstances ABRI personnel have a duty to protect
citizens. Individuals who refuse to respect their fellow human
beings do not deserve to be described as ones.
The lack of discipline within the military has become
intolerable. However, there is much foot dragging concerning
bringing officers involved in human rights abuse cases to
justice.
In November, Wiranto vowed to take action against soldiers
responsible for the beating of a journalist covering a student
demonstration. We are still waiting for those results. As of last
week, Wiranto has promised only to bring to justice security
personnel involved in untoward acts toward members of the press.
Students have little recourse.
As the legitimacy of the government will continue to be
questioned, student protest rallies will most likely continue. To
end the continuous cycle of student-troop clashes, the military
leadership should take concrete measures to boost discipline
among its soldiers.
Examples should be made of those guilty of military brutality,
such as by introducing long jail terms, as a deterrent to any
soldier who even considers harming an unarmed civilian.
Military academies should introduce human rights subjects in
their curriculum. Soldiers should be trained to respect dissent
and be resilient in the face of public humiliation and criticism.
If these issues are not addressed, everyone will be pessimistic
about the security arrangements for the general election in June.