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Amid KPK-police standoff, TNI could reprise Soeharto-era role, say analysts
Jakarta Post - February 6, 2015
A political analyst from the Indonesian Civilized Circle (Lima), Ray Rangkuti, said on Friday that the threat was imminent, given that public trust in the National Police as the sole guardian of internal security had suffered a severe blow following the conflict between the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
"The public perceives the National Police as the institution that violates human rights the most," he said during a discussion in Central Jakarta. "This is a challenge because if the police continue in this way, then people will not make a big deal if the military is directly involved in domestic security."
Moreover, the public's trust in the TNI is at an all-time high, according to a recent survey by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI).
The majority of respondents in the survey said the TNI as the most-trusted institution, on a par with the presidency and above the KPK. Meanwhile, the National Police ranked sixth among 11 institutions.
Ray also pointed out how the Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) for 2015-2019 did not clearly distinguish the domains of the TNI and National Police. "The RPJMN has actually steered the domain of the TNI [back to its original function]," he said.
Indonesia Communion of Churches (PGI) secretary-general Jerry Sumampouw, meanwhile, said KPK chairman Abraham Samad's request for the TNI to secure the antigraft body's headquarters following the National Police's plan to raid the office back in January could also be seen as a warning.
"We understand [why Abraham did that] but it is not right in terms of our country's system," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
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