Writing TNI in the Constitution

Writing TNI in the Constitution

After so many attacks on the political role played by the
Indonesian Military (TNI), I was surprised to read in The Jakarta
Post of Aug. 9, 2000 an article titled TNI set to write itself
into the Constitution.

It is reported that the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
is almost certain to write the political role of the TNI into the
1945 Constitution under a compromise among the country's major
political parties. Two big political parties are opposed "in
principle" to giving political power to TNI as a realization of
the compromise. This is a very strange attitude indeed.

If the political parties decide to give political power to
TNI, it would mean that they are convinced of its benefit for the
country, and not because the present situation requires such a
compromise, although God only knows how long the compromise may
last. We cannot put something in the Constitution only to serve
as a temporary political need and for the sake of national unity.

Jacob Tobing, the chairman of the MPR ad hoc committee, said
TNI's presence was still needed to promote national unity and
political stability. On one hand, the politicians are afraid of
TNI because it takes away their chance of governing the country,
but on the other hand they must reluctantly admit that TNI is a
force which can promote national unity and political stability.
In this context I can only say: Be firm for once and learn to be
consistent in your attitude, irrespective of the burden which
goes with it.

Changing the political position of TNI with a decision of the
MPR is downgrading the prestige of this body, while actually
those changes can easily be made through a common law, especially
when this is meant as a temporary step (Media Indonesia, Aug. 9).
This decision is likely to wake up a sleeping tiger. TNI has an
"unconditional" role which the people gave it in this reform era.
And thus TNI is calm and trying hard to accept it to please the
people.

My appeal to the politicians is to make a firm decision of
where to place TNI, and whether it belongs according to the
people. With or without a political role, TNI will remain loyal
to the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta