Suggestion for PEPABRI

Suggestion for PEPABRI

From Media Indonesia

It won't sound strange to hear in this reform era a statement to the effect that the big family of the Armed Forces (ABRI) will continue to channel their aspirations through the Functional Group (Golkar). It is only natural for such a statement to be made, although it smacks of the dual function of the armed forces. Isn't ABRI one of the forces that have given birth to Golkar? It is also ABRI that has so far given command to Golkar, the winner of the sole majority. The ABRI, Golkar and the bureaucrats (ABG) scheme is all too familiar to the people. (students of the 1998 generation use the pun Anak Baru Gede (ABG) meaning a teenager. Well, this ABG has brought trouble to its parent, the motherland.)

Now, about the right to vote in an election. It would be good if ABRI members in active service were also allowed to exercise this right. According to the spirit of the constitution, the army, the navy and the air force, as institutions, perform the sole function as state apparatuses/national army to deal with enemies from abroad. ABRI members in active service, as citizens, must also be allowed to exercise the right to vote in the election, which is the manifestation of a human right.

What has been the practice until today is that ABRI members seem to have been treated with discrimination and have at the same time been alienated, unlike their fellow countrymen in the civil society (including civil servants). According to relevant experts, the country needs to have really professional national soldiers in anticipation of the challenges posed by the twenty- first century. Therefore, ABRI must never again, as it was in the past, be abused as a government instrument.

Honestly, the phrase "(it) doesn't mean that ABRI is split" and the like are still influenced by the spirit of the dual function of the armed forces. In anticipation of globalization, the Association of Retired Members of the Indonesian Armed Forces (PEPABRI), must, before it is too late, be changed into an independent party without any organizational relationship to Golkar. Let's say, there will then be the PEPABRI party. In this way, the aspirations of the big family of ABRI (including members in active service) can be channeled through this party. So the generals need not go here and there to join other parties. Who knows, this may inspire the Corps of the Civil Service of the Republic of Indonesia (Korpri) to do the same. Indeed, it is not sinful for PEPABRI (or Korpri) to change itself into a party, although there are quite a few suggestions that it should transform itself into a cooperative because both PEPABRI and Korpri have quite an excellent organizational network across the country.

SUNGKOWO SOKAWERA

Bandung, West Java