TNI political role ends 'when civilians ready'

JAKARTA (JP): Juwono Sudarsono said the military's political role could be ended as soon as civilians were ready to take the place of soldiers.

Speaking at a seminar here on Wednesday, the minister of education and professor of politics at the University of Indonesia said the Indonesian Military's 38 unelected seats in the House of Representatives could eventually be filled by political parties or other civilian organizations.

"This can be done as soon as civilians are ready and fully grown as a political institution," Juwono said as quoted by Antara.

Also speaking at the seminar were Arbi Sanit and Eep Saefulloh Fatah of the University of Indonesia, military observer Hasnan Habib and A.S. Hikam of the National Institute of Sciences.

"After civilian institutions develop a civilian democracy, then we can talk about ways to remove the 38 (military) seats," Juwono said.

It will take the country between five and 10 years to develop a civilian democracy, Juwono said. "Therefore, it would take the country about as long to replace the military in the House."

He said the military and police were both the "apparatus of the state" whose authority was in security and defense. When irregularities occur in the military's function, the personnel is to blame not the validity of the authority, he said.

Juwono was among the few experts to discuss the pervasiveness of the military's sociopolitical role during Soeharto's New Order regime.

Hikam, however, disagreed with Juwono's view. "It's not fair to compare the military with a civilian organization. It's like comparing pineapples and watermelons."

It is the responsibility of the military to alter itself to create a more democratic society without having to wait for civilian institutions to "grow up", Hikam said.

He said the newly introduced paradigm for the military's sociopolitical role had yet to touch on the basic issue of democratization.

Military observer Hasnan Habib, who is a retired lieutenant general, shared Hikam's view, pointing out what he believed was a double standard used by the military.

"In the case of (separatism in) Aceh, for instance, the military (has failed to keep) its hands off the matter and leave it to the police," he said.

"Therefore we must press TNI to conduct real reforms," he said. TNI is the acronym for the Indonesian Military.

Arbi Sanit reiterated that real reform was a precondition for the military to regain the public's trust. (edt)