Support grows for TNI repositioning
Support grows for TNI repositioning
Kurniawan Hari and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta
A public hearing on the Indonesian Military (TNI) bill on Tuesday
found support for placing the armed forces under the defense
ministry for the sake of military professionalism.
Those participating in the hearing said placing the TNI under
the defense ministry would avoid conflicts and confusion in
creating policies dealing with national defense.
The deputy chairman of the House of Representatives' defense
commission, Effendy Choirie, said the bill would not contribute
to military reform unless it placed the TNI under the control of
the defense ministry.
"Without that, there will be nothing new. Therefore, we have
to fight for it. If the proposal is approved, it could be
implemented gradually," he said during the hearing with defense
and military analysts.
Attending the hearing were ProPatria study center director T.
Hari Prihatono, Local Government Studies researcher Jaleswari
Pramodhawardani, Institute for Indonesia Defense and Strategic
Studies director Rizal Darmaputra, Institute for Law Enforcement
and Indonesia National Study director Ahmad Rivai and Jati Diri
Bangsa Foundation chairman Lt. Gen. (ret) Kiki Syahnakri.
The TNI currently falls under the supervision of the
president, who is also its supreme commander. The position of TNI
chief is similar to that of a Cabinet minister.
Rizal said overlaps in policy-making between TNI headquarters
and the Ministry of Defense were evident in the procurement of
Russian-made Sukhoi jets last year.
Based on the defense law, the procurement should have been
handled by the defense ministry, he said.
Officials at the ministry, however, told the House Commission
I for defense they were kept in the dark about the procurement.
Instead, the TNI chief cooperated with the Ministry of Industry
and Trade to purchase the warplanes through a countertrade deal.
"Such problems will reoccur in the future if the TNI remains
on par with the Ministry of Defense," Rizal said.
Kiki, a former deputy chief of the Army, supported the idea of
putting the TNI under the defense ministry but failed to
elaborate.
"I agree with it. Ideally, the TNI would fall under the
control of the defense ministry," he said.
During the hearing, legislators were split over an article in
the bill that would maintain the TNI's territorial role.
Some legislators suggested that the military's presence at the
district, regency and provincial levels should be maintained
given the imminent threats of terrorism and separatism.
But Pramodhawardani called for a regulation to restrict troop
deployments in order to curb the power of military authorities.
Any decisions on the use of military force, she said, should
involve the House, the president and the defense minister.
She also suggested that the House delay the deliberation of
the bill due to numerous contentious issues that would be
difficult to resolve in the final month of the House's term. The
House expects to finish the deliberations in one month.
Separately, interim coordinating minister for political and
security affairs Hari Sabarno suggested that the House approve
the bill before its term expires on Oct. 1, otherwise the new
lawmakers would have to begin the process over from the
beginning.
"The present government and House are responsible for
finalizing any bills debated during their tenure. If they fail to
endorse the drafts, the next government will have to start the
whole process over and it will take time," Hari said.