Military unfinished businesses

Source: The Jakarta Post 

| Mon, 10/05/2009 8:59 AM | Opinion

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has been the dominant player in the country’s political and security affairs ever since its establishment 64 years ago. Such a role – though significantly reduced after the reform movement marked by the downfall of military man president Soeharto in May 1998 – can still be felt to date as there are still a number of commitments it has yet to fulfill. Today, on its anniversary, we feel obliged to remind the nation again how to maximize the benefits we can take from the TNI while still sticking to principles of civilian supremacy.

We have always been thankful for the military, which has always been at the ready whenever natural disasters hit the country. It has been at the forefront in evacuation and rescue operations, including in the latest West Sumatra earthquake, where the death toll has passed 1,000 mark. But that is not enough to meet the prerequisites to be declared a professional institution, as the reform movement has recommended.

To be precise, to date there has been no concrete report or revelation of whether the military institution will be able to meet the five-year deadline – in October 2009, as stipulated by the 2004 Law on the Indonesian Military – to completely hand over all its business units.

While this month is the transitional period for the government and legislature, it is very unlikely the deadline will be met, and so it will be the responsibility of the new government – fortunately (or unfortunately) still under Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s leadership.

Another case in point is how to ultimately and properly utilize – and not waste – the TNI’s experience and skills in counterterrorism and warfare, and in combating security disturbances. The separation of the National Police from the TNI in April 1999 has limited the military’s role to defense only, with internal or domestic security issues being handed over to, and the sole responsibility of, the police.

The police’s separation from the military was definitely meant to make both the police and the TNI professional institutions. But the fact that terrorism threats have reached an alarming level and expanded beyond state boundaries has made the counterterrorism campaign a tough task for the police to handle on its own.

It is therefore advisable for the state authorities to also involve the TNI in the war against terrorism. However, allowing the TNI to take part in the country’s antiterrorism campaign should also be followed by the establishment of strict rules of the game, to prevent abuses and irregularities as a result of unclear “rules of engagement”.

The last and most important item on the military reform agenda is the necessary review of the TNI’s continued territorial command role. Such a role — with TNI officers deployed to the smallest community units, known as Babinsa — has been under intense public criticism, as they were previously used as part of the ruling government’s repressive arms to silence all forms of criticism against the government and freedom of expression.

There are sharp divisions over whether the nation needs to let the TNI maintain its territorial role. Should the nation agree to have it reviewed or even revoked, the vacuum of responsibility must not allow any security disturbances to crop up at any point. And again, as experience has taught us all, we need to have a complete set of rules to regulate alternative necessary measures against such disturbances.

We must not let irresponsible people or groups of people steal and take advantage of such a power vacuum. Happy 64th anniversary, TNI