Susilo highly praises TNI's reform moves, gives civilians 'F'
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hailed on Tuesday the Indonesian Military (TNI) for consistently upholding the reform agenda, which civilian leaders had not done.
In a speech that he penned but was read by his secretary before participants of a conference entitled "Lessons from the Indonesian Transition: Setting a Future Reform Agenda", it went on to say that seven years since the reform movement began in 1998, TNI has "played a significant role in creating a situation that enabled a transitional period to democracy."
Susilo's statement asserted that civilian leaders had failed to play their part.
"Despite the military's achievement, democratization will still face difficulties if the other groups, such as political parties, the bureaucracy and civil society, fail to reform themselves," Susilo's statement said.
The speech was read by Susilo's secretary Sudi Silalahi. The minister skipped the seminar organized by the United Nations Support Facility for Indonesian Recovery (UNSFIR) as he was on an overseas trip.
Susilo characterized TNI's all-out support for reform in its acceptance to withdraw from practical politics, which was marked by its exit from the House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly, starting this year.
TNI has also abolished its socio-political doctrine, known as dual-function, and has distanced itself from political parties in a bid to improve its professionalism, Susilo claimed.
During the 32 years of Soeharto's New Order rule, the TNI (or ABRI as it was called then) was a loyal supporter of the authoritarian regime and took up key government and business jobs at the expense of professional standards.
Soon after Soeharto stepped down in 1998, Susilo, who was then the Armed Forces' chief for social and political affairs, introduced the military's new paradigm in a show of support for the reform movement.
The new paradigm stipulated the military's recognition of civilian supremacy and readiness to share power with them.
However, the paradigm appeared to lose its relevance when the Ministry of Defense revealed last year the White Paper on National Defense Policy that recommends that the military's much- criticized territorial function be maintained for defense purposes.
Territorial function allows the military to maintain its old power as territorial commanders pledge allegiance to the TNI leadership over local governments. Think tank group ProPatria has suggested that TNI fall under the auspices of a minister to make the civilian supremacy over the military work in an effective way.
Hasnan Habib, military analyst and former Armed Forces' chief on social and political affairs, doubted the TNI's commitment to reform.
"We have to examine whether or not the military is willing to recognize the civilian supremacy and I say no. TNI is still reluctant to do it because of a lack of trust in civilians," Hasnan told the seminar.
But Hasnan admitted no civilian leaders after Soeharto were able to bring the country out of the crises, which include serious security problems.
"Under Megawati's administration, TNI realizes that civilians may not be able to deal with security problems countrywide, particularly separatist movements. Civilians have also split and fought for their own interests as proven in the emergence of dozens of political parties," Hasnan said.