Stay in the barracks

Days after terrorists attacked Bali for the second time in three years, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attended a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the 60th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI). So it was understandable that terrorism figured prominently in the President's speech, in which he asked the TNI to play an active role in the fight against terrorists.

Pointing to Law No. 34/2004 on the military, in particular Article 2, the President said: "I ask the TNI to take part in effectively curbing, preventing and acting against terrorism."

A retired Army general, the President knows the TNI could be one of the most effective institutions in combating terrorism, not only because of its technical capacity and know-how, but also because the active involvement of the TNI would reduce the "resistance" of some military personnel to his government's initiatives.

The President apparently also wants to use the Bali bombings as the cover for testing the public's reaction to the revival of the TNI's role in domestic security and public order. Susilo wants to test the theory that more and more Indonesians are tired of waiting for the police to do something about domestic security, which during Soeharto's New Order regime was the sole domain of the military.

During the Soeharto era, the TNI, in particular the Army, controlled all aspects of life, from the very top of society all the way down to the neighborhood units. With the draconian laws that were in place during the New Order, it was simple to jail people with very little evidence. True, domestic security was generally better under Soeharto, but then again there was the problem of state terrorism.

Though both the National Police and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) have been empowered, President Susilo knows the TNI is reluctant to cooperate with these two bodies, including sharing its intelligence findings, because it cannot see any real benefit to such cooperation.

If the public reacts positively to a renewed domestic role for the TNI, Susilo could openly make use of the military in restoring security to the country, including wiping out the breeding grounds for terrorists.

And if there is public resistance, Susilo will have lost nothing, and can tell the TNI that it was the public not him who opposed a political comeback for the military.

Going by media reports, there is indeed a great deal of public resistance to the idea of the military renewing its political role, although many people acknowledge the TNI could play an important role in the war against terror. But, after the abuses of power and rights violations during the Soeharto era, people remain wary of giving the military too much power.

If the TNI does reassume its dominant role in domestic security and politics, the country could expect its flowering democracy to dry up as we witness a return of militarism.

No one can deny the TNI could play a decisive role in eradicating terrorism and other domestic security threats. But if the TNI was given draconian powers to restore security, that would only create new problems no less worrying than the security disturbances.

It is a common practice that every time the President makes a speech, the contents of the speech are first run by the relevant ministries and institutions. In this context, the President's speechwriters naturally could have been expected to consult with TNI Headquarters on Wednesday's address. This means the military was fully informed of the President's plan to revive its domestic security role.

After losing much of its power and privilege after the fall of Soeharto in May 1998, it is only natural that TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto enthusiastically responded to the President's speech.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, the general announced plans to revive the once powerful -- but also much criticized -- military territorial function, which was led by Susilo himself when he was an active three-star general.

Endriartono is fully aware of the generally negative public view of the military. Earlier this week, he complained the military intelligence network was not able to function effectively because of its poor public standing. The public uproar that greeted his proposal to reestablish the military's territorial function only confirmed his fear that most Indonesians do not want to see the TNI regain its old powers.

We must use every available means to eradicate terrorism, but at the same time we have to stick to our democratic principles. True, the internal security acts in Singapore and Malaysia are effective in the short term, but at what cost to civil society?

The TNI can play a key role in the war against terror without returning to it the powers it enjoyed under Soeharto. But will the TNI accept this?