TNI's political neutrality a myth: Analysts

Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The bill on general elections, which provides that members of the military will be able to vote and be elected in the 2004 general election, is a good start but on its own is insufficient to take the military out of politics, say observers.

"As long as the generals still have their own interests in the national political constellation, the TNI cannot be neutral," Arief Budiman, a lecturer in the University of Melbourne, was quoted by Antara as saying in Canberra, Australia.

Military leaders here who objected to the bill have said that once it was passed into law, the military would not be able to remain neutral in politics.

Arief, an expert on Indonesian politics, dismissed the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s claim of neutrality as a myth.

George Aditjondro, an expert on Indonesian politics from the University of Newcastle, said the draft law was a "progressive step" in nurturing democracy.

There was nothing to worry about if soldiers were allowed to vote and to be elected in an election as it was common practice in many countries, George said.

Even so, he said that affording the TNI electoral rights was not enough on its own to tame the powerful military, but needed to be followed by "total reform" within the military itself, including the abolition of its much-criticized dual function.

"The TNI/National Police faction in the House should be dissolved and the TNI's dual function scrapped, particularly as regards socio-political affairs, including the roles of the socio-political directorate chiefs both at the central and regional levels.

"Without all this, reform will remain elusive as the military's domination in practical politics over civilians will increase," George told Antara.

No other country had such a massive military presence as represented by the TNI's territorial commands at all administrative levels from the provinces right down to the regencies, he said. In fact, the TNI's local political structure was a carbon copy of the structure of the home affairs ministry.

Arief said a military's neutrality could normally be measured by its loyalty to the legitimate government headed by the president. But the reality experienced by former president Abdurrahman Wahid revealed that the TNI had defied his order as the supreme commander to dissolve the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) when it started the process of ousting him.

"In this case, the TNI sided with the political decision made by the legislature. In this case, can the military be considered neutral?" Arief asked.

The campaign to rid the TNI of its political role, he said, remained "unrealistic" because in reality many of its senior members were supporters of mass organizations, such as Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, both of which were closely linked to politics.

The TNI's partiality was also influenced by the fact that many of its leaders held strategic positions in the decision-making process, he added.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, who drafted the bill, reiterated on Thursday that military and police personnel would have to resign completely from their respective organizations if they wanted to contest legislative seats.

Another analyst, Nurcholish Madjid, also backed efforts to swiftly remove the TNI from politics so that it could focus on its defense and security duties.

A neutral stance on the part of the military in politics would boost its credibility and reputation among the people as the move would make it more professional, he told journalists here on Thursday.

Nurcholish said TNI and police personnel should quit their respective forces and become civilians if they wanted to vie for seats in the Regional Representatives' Council (DPD), which along with the House will make up the MPR starting from 2004.

Separately, Egyptian constitutional law expert Mohamed Ershad questioned Indonesia's political system for accommodating the TNI in its legislative bodies.

"I don't understand why the military institution in Indonesia has official legislative representatives, while it is part of the government apparatus, and whose status is similar to that of other departments," he was quoted by Antara as saying in Cairo.

Agus Widjojo, chairman of the TNI/National Police faction in the House, has voiced his full support for any move to strip the military and the police of their political roles before the 2009 deadline set by MPR Decree No. 7/2000.