TNI staying clear of politics? It's rhetoric
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's call for the military to finally leave politics seems to be merely rhetorical because in reality politicians and soldiers are indispensable partners, observers say.
Megawati's message during the Indonesian Military's (TNI) 56th anniversary celebration last Thursday, which effectively said the TNI must quit politics, has received a surprisingly positive response from top leaders in the military.
Military analysts Hermawan 'Kiekie' Sulistyo of the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) and Indria Samego of The Habibie Center, however, doubt the sincerity of the President and TNI leaders.
"About 70 to 80 percent of high ranking officers in the Military still want to maintain their roles in politics. In addition, many politicians feel safe if they are close to them," Hermawan told The Jakarta Post.
Indria also claimed that the majority of senior military officers continue to possess political aspirations. They are a legacy of the New Order government which built its power upon military support in the form of the dual-function doctrine.
He went on to state that most military officers know very well that many politicians still need their support.
"Why does Megawati have (army generals) Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono, Hari Sabarno and Agum Gumelar in her cabinet? Surely it is not because the officers are smart. There are still many other people who are better (ministers) than them," added Indria.
He added that they were appointed because of their influence within the powerful military.
Hermawan also said that Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) was also one of the parties which supported a military presence in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) until 2009.
He added that younger military officers in the Army, Air Force, and Navy seem more willing to abandon politics and focus on becoming a professional defense force with a single focus of protecting the nation militarily.
Both Hermawan and Indria said that if both politicians and military officers had the political will, the military could quit their seats in the legislative bodies as early as 2004.
Indria stressed the need for laws to encourage the military to quit politics and concentrate on improving their professionalism.
He said that a current ad hoc committee in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) may also amend the 1945 Constitution in connection with military functions.
"The draft of this amendment should explicitly define the military function," he said, adding that more detailed regulations on the role of the military could be detailed in the law.
Hermawan pointed out that it would require substantial budget appropriations to create a professional military, especially to buy weaponry and improve soldiers' welfare.
He proposed that a colonel's salary should be equal to that of a middle-level manager in a private company, or between Rp 15 million and Rp 20 million.
"With an adequate salary, it is expected that they will not seek 'side jobs' and will then be able to concentrate solely on their military job," Hermawan told the Post.