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.