Lisye Sri Rahayu, Jakarta – Defence Minister Sjafri Shamsuddin has confirmed that he has approved the deployment of the Indonesian Military (TNI) to guard the House of Representatives/Peoples' Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR) building in Senayan, Jakarta. The Civil Society Coalition has criticised the decision.
"The Civil Society Coalition believes that the Defence Minister's statement is inconsistent with the people's demands as outlined in the 17+8 agenda, which wants the government to end the TNI's involvement in civilian security and return the TNI to the barracks. Thus, the Defence Minister is clearly going against the will of the people and this reflects a government official who isn't listening to the people's voices", the Coalition stated on Tuesday September 16.
The Civil Society Coalition is made up of Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), the Centra Initiative, the Raksha Initiative, the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), the Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), Dejure, the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, the Women's Legal Aid Foundation for Justice (LBH Apik) and the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).
They believe that the Defence Minister's statement conflicts with the TNI Law.
"More than that, the involvement of the TNI in securing the DPR RI building is not actually the TNI's duty. The Constitution and the TNI Law stipulate that the TNI is tasked with national defence, while security and public order are the domain of the police. The TNI's involvement in securing the DPR RI building is a deviation from the TNI's primary function and duties", they explained.
The Civil Society Coalition believes the DPR/MPR building is not a symbol of state sovereignty. They assert that the DPR is a symbol of the people's representation.
"Aside from that, the DPR RI building is not a symbol of state sovereignty, but rather a symbol of the people's representation. Therefore, it's natural for the DPR RI to become the object of public criticism and demonstrations when it is deemed to have made mistakes. Deploying the TNI to guard the DPR RI gives the impression of threatening and intimidating the public who wish to express their criticism and aspirations", they said.
"The Defence Minister should focus on strengthening the TNI in the defence sector, not dragging the TNI into matters of security and public order, which are not within its jurisdiction. The president must correct the actions taken by the Defence Minister, which are not in line with the Constitution and the TNI Law. If the president fails to correct this, the president can be considered complicit in the mistakes committed by the Defence Minister", they added.
The Civil Society Coalition believes that the TNI reform process still has much homework to do, including military justice reform, territorial command restructuring and eliminating the culture of violence against civilians. "Instead of expanding the TNI's duties into the civilian sphere, attention should be directed to resolving the internal problems of TNI reform", they explained.
The Civil Coalition made the following demands:
1. Reject the planned involvement of the TNI in securing the DPR RI building.
2. End all forms of TNI involvement in matters of security and public order.
3. Prioritise the TNI reform agenda to ensure it becomes a truly professional military in the defence sector.
Defence Minister on TNI guarding DPR
The parliament building complex is still being guarded by a number of TNI personnel and tactical vehicles following the unrest at several locations at the end of August. How long will the DPR building be guarded by TNI personnel and tactical vehicles?
Sjamsoeddin has stated that his office has agreed that the DPR building will be guarded by TNI personnel saying that he believes the security measures will continue until the situation is conducive.
"The TNI will guard the symbol of state sovereignty at the DPR. So I have agreed and the [TNI] Commander will follow up with the TNI Chiefs of Staff that the DPR installation will be guarded by the TNI", Sjamsoeddin said after a working meeting with the DPR's Commission I on Tuesday.
Sjamsoeddin stated that TNI security presence will be maintained until the situation becomes more conducive. The former Jakarta military commander believes that if necessary, the TNI will be present among the people.
"As of now, it's said to be conducive, and it could be even more conducive. Yes, it's up to you to assess the situation. If necessary, we must be present among the people", he said. (lir/eva)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Kritik Menhan soal TNI Jaga Gedung DPR: Tak Sejalan Tuntutan 17+8".]
