Tyasno defends TNI's territorial role

JAKARTA (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto warned on Monday that the proposal to abolish regional military commands would severely undermine Indonesia's ability to defend against foreign aggression and internal disturbances.

"Indonesia will not be able to face internal and external threats if the entire regional command structures are phased out," Tyasno said.

Commenting on the debate about the Indonesian Military's (TNI) territorial function, he blamed the unpopularity of Kodam, Korem, Kodim and Koramil (the commands at provincial, regency, district and subdistrict levels) on past practices.

The public still confused the military's territorial function with its sociopolitical role, he said.

"The territorial function is still relevant in defending the country. We have now left political affairs behind," he said, adding that TNI would be neutral in politics.

He said TNI was currently undergoing internal reforms and hoped this would be reflected by the public's increasing acceptance of its territorial functions, especially in rural areas.

Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, chief of the Wirabuana regional command overseeing Sulawesi, sparked a public debate about TNI's territorial role last week when he called for the abolition of most of the lower level commands.

Agus, a vocal and almost lone voice in the military calling for a swift end to the military's political role, also suggested cuts in the number of Kodam to eight.

His proposal is at odds with TNI's current plan to bolster the size of Kodams from 11 to 17 as disclosed by TNI chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Sudradjat.

Tyasno agreed that Koramil and Babinsa, the non-commissioned officers assigned to villages, should be abolished in urban areas where people were relatively more educated, but he argued for their retention in rural and remote areas as part of the national defense system.

"TNI's territorial function should remain urgent and relevant in areas like Aceh, Ambon and Irian Jaya which are prone to security disturbances," he said.

Tyasno, however, did not rule out changing the Army's command structures, saying that the military's defense doctrines were flexible and open to changes in accordance with modernity.

TNI would also develop military commands in line with geographic and cultural conditions in the provinces, he said.

The commands in Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan would be adjusted to the local geographic and cultural conditions, he said. "For example, the military will adopt the Aceh, Batak and Minangkabau concepts of defense. On transportation facilities, the commands in Java will need more trucks, while those in Kalimantan will need more speedboats and air transportation," he said.

Separately, former Army chief of staff Gen. (ret.) Rudini said on Monday that the military doctrines should be reviewed before TNI could phase out its military command structures.

TNI's territorial function had been developed along the lines of Indonesia's "total people defense concept", he recalled.

"In normal peace time, the military is responsible for the country's defense. The military's territorial function becomes particularly critical in times of war because, based on the defense doctrine, the entire potential of the nation, including the people, must be involved," he said.

Rudini played down the public row between Agus and Sudradjat, saying differences of opinion were normal among the military leaders.

Salim Said, a military observer, said the people have had a traumatic experience with the military's territorial commands.

"These powerful commands acted more as espionage institutions in the past," he said.

The House of Representatives should amend the 1982 Law on the National Defense System to bring it more up to date with the present era of reform, he said. (rms)