TNI's deadly force

The Indonesian Military (TNI) will mark its 57th anniversary today with the traditional parade and show of force at the Halim Perdanakusuma airbase in East Jakarta. But most people have already seen or heard about what TNI's firepower is capable of, without having to go to Halim or tune in their TV. We got a glimpse of how deadly the TNI can be to its own people last weekend, when the Army's airborne unit in North Sumatra decided to turn the town of Binjai into its own little theater of war.

The attacks by Airborne Battalion 100/PS on the police station and barracks in Binjai have further undermined the credibility and reputation of the TNI. The attacks shut down the town from Sunday until Monday afternoon, as most residents cowered in their houses while police officers and soldiers shot at each other in the streets.

The timing could not have been more embarrassing, coming less than a week before TNI marks its anniversary. This is supposed to be a time for TNI soldiers to rejoice, and to share that joy with their families and with the people they are supposed to defend.

Sadly, there is nothing to cheer about our TNI today after the ugly incident in Binjai. On the contrary, the attacks have raised questions and doubts among the public about the institution itself.

This is not the first armed clash pitting a TNI unit against the police. And judging by the limited action the Army leadership has taken against those soldiers involved in Binjai, we feel that this may not be the last clash either.

There have been at least 11 similar clashes between the two armed forces since January 2001, in areas like Ambon (Maluku), Sampit (Central Kalimantan), Jambi, Aceh, Papua, Palu (Central Sulawesi), Madiun (East Java), Simalungun (North Sumatra) and Bogor, near Jakarta. While the National Police have to answer for some of the clashes, we restrict our criticism today to the TNI because it is the one celebrating its anniversary.

Compared to the earlier TNI-National Police clashes, Binjai must count as the worst and most serious, not only in terms of casualties and property damage, but also in terms of the level of intervention that was required to bring it to an end. The local Army commanders obviously failed to control their soldiers, forcing Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu to fly in from Jakarta to do the job himself.

While his intervention was greatly appreciated, the punishments meted out to the errant soldiers did not match the crime, and we have no guarantee that they will ever receive their due justice.

After personally leading a ceremony in which 20 members of Airborne Battalion 100/PS were dishonorably discharged, Ryamizard promised they would be prosecuted in a military court. His tough words -- he said he would like to see them executed if the law permitted -- meant little because we know from past experience that military law is far more lenient in dealing with these kind of offenses than the Criminal Code to which civilians are subject.

This ultimately is a problem that the TNI leadership, more than anybody else, has to deal with. More than tarnishing the reputation of the TNI, the Binjai episode is eroding what little trust the public still has in soldiers.

It is worth remembering that the public has placed its trust in the TNI to carry those deadly weapons, in the belief that they will use them to defend the people not kill them. This is a trust the TNI must constantly nurture, instead of abusing.

In a democracy, the TNI must make it a tradition to be publicly accountable for all its actions. It must, for example, account for every bullet its soldiers fire. Alas, as we all know from the many past misdeeds that have not been dealt with, public accountability is hardly a part of the TNI's everyday language.

If anything, the Binjai incident has made the long-standing demand by civil society groups for a "return to barracks" -- and consequently the dismantling of TNI's territorial command structure -- even more imperative. It is certainly one attractive option, if only to rein in the trigger-happy loose canons that many of our soldiers have become.

Since today is TNI's anniversary, we should let the military leadership contemplate, especially in the wake of Binjai, what they should do in the interests of the nation first, and of their institution second. Happy birthday TNI.