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TNI territorial function to stay despite decade of reform: Sjafrie
The reform movement, which began 10 years ago, stipulated the need for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to give up its sociopolitical role and focus on defense
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The reform movement, which began 10 years ago, stipulated the need for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to give up its sociopolitical role and focus on defense. A lot has been done in the past decade to help achieve military and defense reform, although there has been plenty of criticism that change has occurred too slowly. Defense Ministry secretary-general Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin talked to The Jakarta Post's Dwi Atmanta about the issue.
Question: Does the military benefit from reform?
Answer: Reform is making a change from an authoritarian system to democracy, which requires the TNI to establish a new paradigm. We maintain that reform cannot be interpreted as a revolution, but as a rational series of changes, by which we remove the bad things and repair the damage. Reform is not a total overhaul, but the implementation of gradual and systematic changes.
The benefit of reform is it allows the TNI to look at itself and think about the future. Introspection has led to the understanding that no assignments can be executed without legality and legitimacy. The TNI can no longer do as it pleases.
Reform has provided us with ample time to improve ourselves and the intellectual agility of our officers. More importantly, reform should enable the TNI to contribute to the development of a civil society and democratization, without having to compromise our character. Many have accused us of preserving the status quo when we defend our character. We are not.
Thinking about the future requires us to improve our professionalism so as to regain public trust.
Under the authoritarian regime our weaknesses were overlooked, but now our shortcomings are on display. An officer who has no competence and fails to develop himself will have no competitive edge and will become a laughing stock.
The TNI has always talked about gradual reform. When will it be complete?
Reform must not be restricted to a certain time frame because an organization is dynamic. If a time limit is set, everybody will fall asleep when the goal is reached. Reform means changes which that do not take place drastically or are not revolutionary. Reform is an evolution.
A military organization is dynamic and has to adapt to any developments. It's better called a revolution of military affairs, which refers to how the military adapts to the changing world. What we are doing is implementing rational changes, which are more productive.
What kind of civil society does the TNI hope to build?
Once the TNI and the state were one and the same. We cannot just blame certain people, because the Constitution led to that state of affairs. The TNI played a duel role because there were legal grounds for that. The TNI was involved in decision making because it was part of the government.
Civil society must change the situation itself. In the past, the TNI single-handedly resolved national problems, but now it's just a contributor to developing a civil society by devoting time and energy to developing its professionalism as a national defense force. The TNI can no longer be identified as part of the government, because that's what the law says.
What about civilian supremacy?
That's already part of the past. It's not appropriate today to talk about civilian supremacy. Civilians and the military work together to build a civil society. We are civilians who happen to work in the military. Both civilians and those in military service are citizens.
Differentiating between civilians and the military will only lead to a dichotomy, which is narrow-minded and out of step with the spirit of nationalism and statesmanship. There should be no such militarism in Indonesia in the first place. The TNI has been against militarism ever since we were in the academy.
In the global era, debating the civilian-military dichotomy is a waste of time. All countries that think globally do not consider the issue, because civilians and the military contribute equally to development. In the beginning, people separated the military from civilians because they were in the process of finding an ideal format. But we have grown more mature. It's not appropriate to talk about civilian supremacy.
TNI reform suggests a phase-out of the TNI territorial function, but that doesn't seem to be working. Why?
We must understand that the territorial function is not only the responsibility of the TNI, but also of the government. In the past the TNI seemed to monopolize the function because it was part of the government. As an organization, the TNI conducts territorial duties, but it's just a small part of the whole territorial function which falls under the government, in this case the civilian authority. The Public Works Ministry, for example, actually carries out territorial tasks, which means it's responsible for maintaining infrastructure that supports the national defense system. The territorial function involves all the state apparatus required to protect the nation from any threats.
TNI territorial commands are in the form of military deployment as a defense force. Therefore, if the function is scrapped, TNI will lose its strength. The presence of regional military commands is needed as long as they do not conduct government functions as they did in the past. When it's deemed necessary, the military can be deployed for humanitarian operations or to help regional governments.
Given our country is an archipelago, does the Navy deserve top priority?
We do not recognize a segregated defense system, but a three-pronged coordinated one. There is no one dominant force. The three are a united force that defends the state from any threats and maintains territorial integrity. Our defense doctrine is to combine military and nonmilitary forces.
Although waters make up most of our territory, that doesn't mean we have to focus on the Navy. It's true that maintaining the Navy and the Air Force requires a huge budget because they are heavy on equipment. But it must be pointed out that soldiers need arms, which justifies a fair budget allocation for the Army.
How does the legislation support TNI reform?
Military reform requires the TNI to abide by the prevailing law. The law on the TNI and the defense law say so. Its implementation can be found in the military court bill, which needs only approval now. We have agreed to bring soldiers who commit ordinary crimes before district courts. We never resist obedience to the law or human rights principles.
