[Kabar-indonesia] Army Reform Key To Peaceful Sulawesi

[Joyo at aol.com]

INDONESIA: ARMY REFORM KEY TO PEACEFUL SULAWESI

Jakarta, 1 Nov. (AKI) - The solution for the strife-torn
Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi lies elsewhere, in
Jakarta, where the national government must push for a
proper reform of the army, a leading analyst has told
Adnkronos International (AKI).

"The government must put the TNI under full civilian
authority; it must forbid it to engage in business and it
must disband the territorial structure," said George
Aditjiondro, who has closely followed developments in the
area, where sectarian attacks have recently fuelled tension.
He was referring to the pervasive presence of the armed
forces across Indonesia.

This territorial structure was the means used by former
dictator Suharto to keep control of Indonesia's vast and
farflung territory during his 33 years of rule which ended
with his overthrow in 1998. According to experts, the
structure allows the TNI to influence local politicians and
to act with impunity.

The reform of the TNI, which began in 1998, has proceeded in
fits and starts in recent years.

"Until this is achieved, there will always be conflict
areas, like Central Sulawesi," he added.

As well as guaranteeing a certain political weight at a
national level, the conflict zones also offer economic
opportunities which the military do not want to miss.

"Conflict brings always extra income. In Poso [the most
turbulent area in Central Sulawesi] it is all about ebony.
The trade of this wood is actually forbidden, but in Poso
every middle or low rank TNI member is involved," he said.

"Generals instead earn thanks to collusion with the big
industries that arrived in the area thanks to the conflict"
he said, recalling that in Indonesia, the state provides
only 30 percent of the annual budget of the army, which
finances itself with a series of activities, both legal and
illegal.

Without the conflict, anad therefore the presence of
military forces, it would be much harder for some industries
to overcome the opposition of the local people and operate
in the area. "The TNI makes sure that protests are kept to a
minimum" he concluded.

Among the latest beneficiaries of the tension in Poso the
expert underlined two belonging to the Bukaka Teknik Utama,
a conglomerate that is closely linked to the economic empire
of the powerful vice president of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla.

Central Sulawesi is one of the few provinces in Indonesia
where the number of Christians and Muslims is more or less
equal. It was the scene of violence sectarian clashes from
1998-2001 which caused 1000 deaths and forced 63,000 people
to flee their homes.
Despite the truce signed in December 2001, there have been
sporadic episodes of violence. The latest clashes followed
the execution of three Christians on 22 September for their
role in the three years conflict.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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