Tyasno defends TNI's territorial role

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)