TNI's deadly force

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.