What they say about the role of ABRI

JAKARTA (JP): Roni, final-year student of the law faculty of Universitas 17 Augustus:

"The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) is actually born of the people, so -- practically -- it should be there for the people. But nowadays we have the impression that ABRI has become the tool of the government. For example, in land cases: Why should it be the agency for the coordination of support for national stability and development which deals with those cases? Why not the police or other law-enforcement bodies? ABRI should be in more a neutral position and not do things for the sake of the government.

ABRI is still needed, basically, but it must cooperate more with the people. In order not to legitimatize ABRI's position as the only 'hero' in maintaining stability and security in the country, I think compulsory military service should be re- introduced. Besides, it is every citizen's right to participate in maintaining the country's security."

Haryanto, Marketing and Sales Manager of American Express' Jakarta office:

"ABRI's image is growing more positive nowadays. When I was a child, I liked ABRI members because they looked very handsome. Now, if there is an ABRI member around, we feel safer. For example, if we come around a corner which is notorious for crime and we see an ABRI member there, we don't feel frightened anymore and don't have to worry that someone will appear out of the darkness to rob us or take our rear-view mirrors.

I know there are also ABRI members who misuse their position, but, on the whole, I don't see anything wrong or negative about ABRI.

The problem is now there are people who have their hair cut short like ABRI men and often dress like one of them, and their job is to back up, say, a rich and important person, or to be a bodyguard at a nightclub. Or they use their appearance, which resembles that of ABRI members, to make money by making people scared of them. As ordinary people, we don't know whether they're really from ABRI or not, but this kind of thing can taint their good image.

One thing that should be clarified about ABRI is its participation in the socio-political arena. We've never known how far they can contribute to this field. Although their numbers are decreasing, we still often hear that some positions, like ambassadorships or governorships, are allocated to ABRI members. We don't know the truth of this, but we see that, for example, the North Sulawesi governor is always from ABRI and so are most ambassadors to ASEAN countries."

Irma, housewife: Unlike in the past, ABRI is much better now. ABRI is closer to the people, especially as ABRI has the so- called ABRI Masuk Desa (ABRI enters the villages) program. Under this program, ABRI members go to villages to do community services, such as building roads or installing irrigation pipes. That is good.

Things were different in the past. It seemed that at that time people were afraid of ABRI. I was born in 1956. My father was a member of the army, but when I was a kid I was frightened whenever I saw my neighbor, who was a member of the air force. Now, people are not afraid of ABRI. Many children even say they want to join ABRI when they grow up.

As we know, there are four elements in ABRI: the army, the air force, the navy and the police. We need many more police officers in this country. And, I think they need to improve their image because there are many police officers who take bribes -- for example, in the handling of traffic violations.

In short, all ABRI members have to improve their dedication to the people. They have to protect people. They must be willing to make sacrifices for the people.

Teguh Samudra, lawyer: It is good that ABRI members do community service work in villages through the ABRI Masuk Desa program. They also lend a hand when there are natural disasters like earthquakes. We can see and enjoy the concrete results of what ABRI has done.

As a matter of fact, ABRI has done a lot. ABRI also initiated the National Discipline Movement, which is amazing. And, of course, ABRI plays a crucial role in maintaining security. When ABRI is there, we feel protected.

But there are some ABRI members who abuse their power. This is damaging ABRI's prestige. Some of them back illegal businesses, such as gambling, while some others become debt collectors. I think ABRI should take strict measures against them by sending them to a military court. Usually, the delinquent individuals are transferred to another place, but this is not enough. If they are tried, others will be discouraged from doing the same thing.

I think it is also necessary for ABRI to fight harder against crime. People are wary when they take a city bus because they are afraid that a pickpocket might snatch their wallet. There must be continuous operations against criminals. A few months ago there was an operation against hoodlums, but the operation was stopped after a while. It was like shock therapy. What we need is continuous action to combat crime, not just shock therapy. Continuous action is needed to create an atmosphere which will make criminals feel unsafe. In so doing, we will be able to eliminate crime. (sim/als)