Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has criticised a statement by the Ministry of Defence (Kemenhan) which said that the involvement of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in guarding public facilities is similar to the situation in the United States (US).
"The Ministry of Defence's statement is an inappropriate statement. Comparing one country with another country that has a different state system and the construction of the armed forces is not apple to apple", Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) Director Ardi Manto said in a statement on Friday September 19.
Imparsial is a group that monitors militarism and part of the Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform, which comprises several organisations including the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), Amnesty International Indonesia, the Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), the Jakarta Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI).
"Indonesia is a unitary state, while the US is a federal state; both have different military histories and the construction of its armed forces is different", he added.
Manto asserted that the involvement of soldiers in the US, which is often used as a reference, has actually attracted a lot of criticism. According to Manto, President Donald Trump's order to mobilise the National Guard in several states has been challenged in federal court.
"Currently, in several states in the US, Donald Trump's policies to deploy the National Guard are being criticised by the American people and even challenged legally by the governments of US states. For example, the California state government (the governor) has brought a lawsuit against the policy to the US Federal Court", he explained.
"The result of the Federal Court decision that the military's involvement is illegal refers to the Posse Comitatus Act [that limits the powers of the federal government and any other government entities]. The same policy also occurs in Washington DC and is being challenged in the Federal Court by the Washington DC Attorney General", he continued.
Thus, the Civil Society Coalition is of the view that it is wrong and mistaken for the Ministry of Defence to use the US as an example to justify the involvement of the TNI in public security in Indonesia. "Because in the US itself he court has declared it illegal", he added.
The coalition also noted that the claim that the military's presence has reduced crime in the US has no scientific basis. The criminality factor, said Manto, was influenced by many things, and military mobilisation in a number of regions was actually political, not purely due to security problems.
TNI guarding parliament excessive
Furthermore, the Coalition highlighted the involvement of the TNI in guarding a number of civil facilities in Indonesia, including the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta, which it considers excessive.
"The involvement of the TNI recently in Indonesia in maintaining domestic security, such as the latest, guarding the DPR building, is excessive, disproportionate, and far outside of its true function as a means of national defence", he said.
He added that, constitutionally, the authority to involve the military in civil affairs lies with the president, not the Minister of Defence.
The coalition believes that using the example of the US during the Donald Trump era is dangerous because it risks dragging Indonesia towards an anti-democratic government.
"The Trump administration is a regime that has been criticised and scrutinized both inside and outside of the US due to its anti-democratic/fascist policies", said Manto.
"By imitating the US, the Ministry of Defence is steering the Indonesian government toward an anti-democratic/fascist regime, one aspect of which is related to the issue of military involvement in civilian areas", he added.
The coalition warned that the public's aspirations as expressed in the 17+8 People's Demands emphasise that the military should return to the barracks, stop its involvement in civilian security and not enter civilian spaces.
Ministry of Defence compares Indonesia with US
As previously reported, the Ministry of Defence stated that the deployment of TNI soldiers at several public facilities such as train stations is currently also occurring in the US.
The head of the Defence Information Bureau (Infohan) at the Defence Ministry Secretariat General, Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, said this after being asked about TNI soldiers that were still seen guarding public facilities, one of which was train stations.
Having soldiers guard US public facilities, based on information received by Inkiriwang, has actually reduces the crime rate.
"At subway stations, and also at public facilities, there are soldiers there to ensure security. And moreover according to information I've received, with the presence of soldiers there to assist, the crime rate has actually decreased", said Inkiriwang at the Defence Ministry offices in Jakarta Thursday September 18.
Inkiriwang explained that the placement of TNI soldiers at several public facilities, including train stations, is a form of assistance to the National Police in maintaining security and order.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Kritik Kemhan yang Bandingkan Penjagaan Militer di RI dan AS".]
