Will new council be effective?

By Ikrar Nusa Bhakti

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie, under decree No. 191/1998, established a Council for the Enforcement of Security and Law with the aim of accelerating the government's reform programs.

Under the decree, which was signed on Nov. 9 but announced by Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung on Dec. 9, the nonstructural body is chaired by the President himself but its executive committee is headed by Minister of Defense/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto.

The council has 34 members, of which 23 are Cabinet members, while the committee consists of 13 people, including nine Cabinet members.

According to Akbar, the aim of the new council is to accelerate the government's reform programs as well as to control and coordinate efforts to resolve crises that threaten national stability.

He said the council did not have a line of command with other government agencies or ministries. Its position would not overlap with existing bodies.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen. (ret.) Feisal Tanjung said later that the council would be temporary in nature.

It is interesting to note that according to Feisal, as quoted by The Jakarta Post on Dec. 11, the council was formed because the existing institutions "had not been effective enough".

Feisal's statement is ridiculous. As the coordinating minister for security and political affairs, he himself is responsible for restoring law and order.

His statement means that he and his office are not committed to working seriously to overcome the social, political and economic crises.

It also means that the existing institutions, which were formed in accordance with the 1945 Constitution, such as the presidency, ministries, Armed Forces, National Police, National Intelligence Board, House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) are not effectively maintaining security and order or accelerating reform programs.

If this is so, why has the government rejected students' proposal for the formation of a presidium government and a provisional MPR? Why has the government accused several retired generals and political activists, who raised a similar proposal, of preparing a coup d'etat or organizing subversive activities against it?

If the existing institutions are not effective enough, it would be better if the President and the whole Cabinet resign and be replaced by people who are capable and have the political will to run the country effectively.

The new security council is also a duplication of existing institutions. Moreover, there are at least three extra- governmental institutions dealing with national security and order or national stability -- the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) chaired by Lt. Gen. Agum Gumelar, the Council for National Security and Defense (Wanhankamnas) chaired by Habibie and its executive committee chaired by Lt. Gen. Arifin Tarigan.

The government has also not dissolved another extra- institutional body, the Agency for the Coordination of Support for the Development of National Stability (Bakorstanas), which replaces the Agency for the Restoration of Security and Order (Kopkamtib), and its regional branches, called Bakorstanasda.

Bakorstanas is chaired by Wiranto.

Why does Indonesia need so many extra institutions to maintain national stability. Is the country in such a state of emergency that it needs so many institution to resolve the crises threatening national stability.

It is also questionable whether the new security council has been formed to prepare the implementation of a new security approach toward students and antigovernment activists. Is it possible that in the foreseeable future, in dealing with students and political activists, the government will state that the country is in a state of emergency.

If the government has the political will to enforce security and law, why is the new council's executive committee chaired by Wiranto?

The establishment of the council is inconsistent with ABRI's recent statement about the repositioning and reactualization of the military's sociopolitical role. It is also against the people's demands for the abolition of ABRI's dual (sociopolitical) function.

In order to restore law and order, the government should further empower the three pillars of national law enforcement -- the National Police, the Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court. Why don't these three institutions become collective coordinators of the new council?

Apart from that, the various crises in society cannot be overcome through a security approach. It should be learned why students are still organizing demonstrations demanding the abolition of the military's dual function, as well as asking the government to stop corrupt, collusive and nepotistic practices, to investigate the wealth of Soeharto, his family and cronies, and to take to court those who were responsible and involved in killing sprees in Aceh, East Timor and Irian Jaya during the military operations there.

The students are also demanding those involved in military- type activities in the mid-May riots, in the Banyuwangi killing spree and the shooting to death of demonstrating students Trisakti and Atmajaya Universities be brought to account.

In addition, the government also has to find out why grass- roots people are easy to run incite these days. In other words, in order overcome the crises, we have to kill the viruses, not just reduce the fever.

What the Indonesian people need are just and civilized sociopolitical and economic policies, not a security approach to maintain the status quo.

Furthermore, Presidential Decree No. 191/1998, which gave extraordinary power to the President in matters of law and order, actually contradicts MPR Decree No. 12/MPR/1998 which abolishes MPR Decree No. 5/MPR/1998, giving the President power to control development activities in accordance with the principles of Pancasila.

That means that Habibie is following his "professor" Soeharto in using the old paradigm of how to stabilize the country through a security approach and not through a "human security" or "prosperity" approach as he and his spokesperson mention so many times to so many people on so many national and international occasions.

The writer is a senior researcher and the head of the Department of International and Regional Affairs at the Center for Political and Regional Studies, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

Window: If the existing institutions are not effective enough, it would be better if the President and the whole Cabinet resign and be replaced by people who are capable and have the political will to run the country effectively.