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Activists say Yudhoyono failed to reform TNI
Jakarta Post - October 4, 2014
Al Araf, the program director of Imparsial, a human rights watchdog, told reporters on Friday that reform was needed to make the TNI more professional in conducting its duty, which was to protect the country.
"The reform is important because it could curb the militaristic culture inherited from the New Order regime, as well as ensure that the TNI will not be abused for political interests," he said in Jakarta.
He said that the reform process made good progress shortly after it was initiated in 1998, but then it stagnated during Yudhoyono's term.
"Former president Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid was the most progressive president who spearheaded reform, while Megawati issued Law No. 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military," he said. "President Yudhoyono did not leave us a decent reform legacy."
Imparsial researcher Ardi Manto said that the failure of President Yudhoyono's government could be seen in the rampant criminality involving TNI personnel during his 10-year tenure.
He said that during Yudhoyono's terms, Imparsial recorded 65 cases of violence and 19 cases of conflict between the TNI and the National Police. "We have not even counted cases like those involving illegal levies, of which we believe the number is huge," he added.
From January until September this year, Imparsial recorded eight cases of violence, most of which involved the abuse of civilians. In the last incident, which occured on Sept. 2, four TNI personnel stabbed an undergraduate student of Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, Papua.
On Sept. 21, a clash between members of the TNI and police officers occurred during an attempt to raid a suspected illegal fuel-storage facility at a housing complex in Batam, Riau Islands.
In early September, the National Police apprehended Niwen Khairani, an employee of the Batam administration for his involvement in an oil-smuggling case. The flow of funds from his bank account was believed to have reached high-ranking law enforcement officials within the police and the TNI who had responsibility for countering oil smuggling in Batam.
In March last year, 12 members of the Army's Special Forces' (Koppasus) Kandang Menjangan group raided Cebongan prison in Sleman, Yogyakarta, and killed four detainees who were suspects in an abuse case involving a Kopassus member, First Sgt. Heru Santoso.
Imparsial executive director Poengky Indarti described the number of cases of violence by members of the TNI as "only the tip of the iceberg" because many of the cases were not revealed to the public. "We believe that there are more cases, but they were not exposed," she added.
Al Araf further said that the new government should enforce the amendment of the 1997 Military Tribunal Law, which was stipulated in Law No. 34/2004, to remove the immunity from the law afforded to TNI personnel up until now. "President Yudhoyono failed to do this because he used the TNI as his political 'crutch'," she said.
Poengky added that the amendment could also open the possibility for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate TNI personnel who were involved in corrupt practices. "It will make all citizens, including TNI personnel, equal before the law," she said.
She said that the new government of president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla could do more to improve the welfare of TNI personnel, which would be one way to improve their professionalism. (ask)
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/10/04/activists-say-yudhoyono-failed-reform-tni.html.
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