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Old brothers under fire: Revisiting TNI-Police ties
Why have there been numerous attempts to incite a feud between the TNI and the police? And why do the police seem to be more distrusted than its “elder brother”, which it was once part of? #opinion
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High-ranking officers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police stand to attention at an annual meeting at the Presidential Palace. The meeting was attended by 198 TNI generals and 170 police generals. (The Jakarta Post/Seto Wardhana)
I
n the spirit of mending relationships following the recent Idul Fitri festivities that ended the fasting month, it is worth revisiting the relations between the “old brothers” — the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police —that emerged in the spotlight during the election-related protests and riots.
At least three cases of hoax related to both went viral shortly after the May 22 riots: A video alleged that a member of the TNI’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) provoked the masses to resist the police; a captioned photo claimed that the commander of the Sungai Kakap military command, West Kalimantan, was shot by police in a security incident in Pontianak; another photo asserted that police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel were disguised as Navy soldiers to defame the TNI during violence against the masses.
Other hoaxes slandered the police’s public image: There were allegations that some police members securing the protests were Chinese nationals; a doctored video claimed that National Police chief Tito Karnavian authorized the police to shoot at protesters; a captioned photo misled readers into thinking that a mosque in Sri Lanka was a Jakarta mosque after a raid by the police and Brimob.
Politicians also issued statements pitting the TNI and the police against each other: A political party’s official social media account suggested that police personnel in charge of the protests should imitate the TNI’s approach, which it claimed was more well-received by the public.
