Students protest 'dual role' of military
By Max Lane
On September 14, student militants organised protest actions in eight Indonesian cities calling for the end to dwifungsi ABRI (the dual role of the armed forces). The dwifungsi doctrine, which is unconstitutional, has long been the official policy of the New Order government under Suharto, and continues with Habibie.
The doctrine justifies the Indonesian military's (ABRI) dominance of Indonesia's political life, and its direct participation in state institutions, such as parliament. It is reflected in ABRI's assumed right to take political stands on a range of issues.
Since the May resignation of Suharto and the appointment of Habibie as president, the ABRI leadership has persistently acted as an "independent" political institution subordinate to no one. ABRI commander-in-chief and defence minister General Wiranto has frequently appeared on television or at press conferences to state ABRI's positions, ignoring the country's constitutional provisions that ABRI must act under the direction of the government.
The student protests opposed a new government regulation (Perpu No. 2) restricting freedom of expression. Perpu No. 2 requires 72 hours' notice to the police prior to demonstrations and assemblies, and that assemblies larger than 50 people obtain police permission. It bans demonstrations outside the presidential palace, military installations, railway stations and other "vital sites".
Wiranto has strongly backed Perpu No. 2 and threatened to create "martyrs" if demonstrations continue.
Student alliances
The September 14 student protests also demanded that Habibie resign, Suharto's assets be nationalised, repressive laws be repealed and prices of basic commodities be lowered.
Hundreds of students took part in the actions in at least seven cities. These were the first coordinated actions aimed specifically aimed at the dwifungsi.
In Jakarta, the protests were organised by the Committee for People's Struggle against ABRI's Dual Function and the Committee of Students and the People for Democracy.
In Yogyakarta, the protests were organised by the Committee for People's Struggle for Change and the Committee to Prepare for Legalisation of the People's Democratic Party (Kepal-PRD). In Purwokerto, they were organised by the Purwokerto Students' Action Forum and the Indonesian People's Struggle Action Union.
In Bandung, the organisers were the University of Bandung Students' Action Forum and in Semarang it was the Students' Solidarity for Total Reform. In Surabaya, the People's Liberation Front and the Kepal-PRD led the actions and in Solo it was the Solo Students' Reform Council.
All the demonstrations were peaceful, although in Jakarta anti-riot police kept the 200 protesters 100 metres away from the ministry of defence.
On September 15, several thousand students were also organised by the Cross-Campus Activists Coalition (Forkot). Although Forkot focused its protest on high prices rather than dwifungsi and the military, it nevertheless defied Wiranto's call for a halt to demonstrations.
On September 15, Wiranto appeared before a parliamentary committee where he demanded an end to criticism of the military. He said that past human rights violations had been committed by "individuals", not by ABRI, and criticised the "sensationalisation" of reports of human rights violations by the military. He told the committee that ABRI felt it was being "discredited and cornered".
"ABRI's military actions did not just come from the blue, but there had been some preconditions in which the state's existence was at stake and so ABRI was assigned by the government to take measures", Wiranto told the committee. He said that it was also unfair to judge ABRI separately from all other components of the "former political system".
Meanwhile, the National Mandate Party (PAN), headed by Amien Rais, has adopted a policy of support for ABRI representation in the People's Consultative Assembly, the body that elects the president. However, PAN opposes ABRI representation in the House of Representatives.
PAN called for an end to the appointment of serving military officers to civilian positions as a part of a long-term process of phasing out the military's role in political affairs.
Right-wing attacks
Soon after Wiranto's September threat against demonstrators, several right-wing groups organised actions against the student opposition.
On September 14, groups called the Reform Movement Against Anarchy, the Movement for the Workers' Aspirations and the Forum for the Salvation of Reform held demonstrations of several hundred people at the parliament buildings.
Banners from these groups have also appeared in different parts of the city with the slogan: "No matter what has happened, we will never forget the ABRI's service in wiping out the Indonesian Communist Party." Many of the banners were put up by the right-wing group KISDI (Indonesian Committee for World Islamic Solidarity).
Activists in Jakarta told Green Left Weekly that a house belonging to outspoken pro-democracy dramatist Ratna Sarumpaet has been burned down. Right-wing groups are suspected.
According to the internet news magazine SiaR, Amien Rais has also launched propaganda attacks on the progressive movement. Rais spoke at a meeting at the Al Azhar Mosque in Jakarta aiming to achieve unity between Muslim political parties.
The three keynote speakers at the meeting were Amien Rais, Professor Yusril Mahendra from the Star and Crescent Party and connected to KISDI, and Yusuf Syakir, chairperson of the regime-recognised United Development Party.
According to SiaR, Amien Rais told the audience to be vigilant against the rise of nasakom, the doctrine of former president Sukarno which calls for the unity of nationalists, religious people and communists. SiaR said that Amien Rais told the audience he had noticed an increase in the use of left-wing terms.
Amien Rais is also reported to have condemned the call for the formation of people's committees. The People's Democratic Party has called on workers, students, farmers and others to form local committees to fight for their rights and lay the basis for a democratic provisional government.