A lesson for TNI

Posted by AsiaViews | Dec 26, 2017 | 0 |

The Jakarta Post

22 Dec 2017

It has been less than two weeks since Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto assumed the top post at the Indonesian Military (TNI), but he has already sprung a surprise. In an unprecedented move, he repealed the promotion and rotation of 16 high-ranking officers ordered by his predecessor Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo.

Hadi was exercising his authority, but regardless of the reasons behind the decision, it begs a clear explanation in order to avoid speculation.

In 1998, then Armed Forces (ABRI) commander Gen. Wiranto replaced the Army’s Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), chief Lt. Gen. Johny Lumintang, merely 17 hours after Johny took on the post, making him the shortest serving Kostrad commander in history.

Political circumstances at that time, in the wake of the resignation of long-time ruler Soeharto, justified the unusual move. But obviously, it was not the case this time around.

Hadi signed a decree dated Dec. 19 that annulled the Dec. 4 reshuffle of 16 of the country’s 85 TNI officers, mostly from the Army. They include Kostrad chief Lt. Gen. Edy Rahmayadi and Marine Corps chief Maj. Gen. Bambang Suswantono, two of eight strategic forces commanders who directly answer to the TNI chief, according to a 2016 Presidential Regulation on the TNI’s organizational structure.

As a consequence of the presidential regulation, all eight strategic operational command posts must go to officers who are trusted by the President, the supreme TNI commander. Besides, in line with bureaucratic rules, the appointment of TNI positions reserved for three-star generals requires the President’s approval.

Edy had tendered his resignation to focus on his bid to contest the North Sumatra gubernatorial election in June next year.

In response to Hadi’s swift turnaround, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, a former Army chief himself, said TNI soldiers were trained to stay tough in facing any challenge. But with Hadi refusing to reveal the real motive behind his sudden decision, the public began smelling signs of a sour relationship between him and Gatot.

Hadi’s rise to the TNI’s top job earlier this month was also laden with peculiarity, although it had been highly anticipated, from his nomination by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to the official transfer of the TNI command baton, which took just five days. The President demanded the accelerated transfer of power, despite the fact that Gatot was slated to end his military service next March.

Hadi’s revocation of Gatot’s reshuffle has only added to the confusion surrounding the TNI’s internal affairs.

Due to constant security threats coming from both inside and outside the country, TNI solidity is imperative, and we only want the armed forces to unite and keep their commitment to maintaining professionalism. Internal rifts would not only hurt the TNI, but also the whole nation.

If there is a lesson Hadi and future TNI commanders can learn from the reshuffle drama, it’s that they should refrain from making strategic decisions, whatever the motives and justification, when they know their tenures are numbered. Otherwise, they could potentially be planting a time bomb for their successors.

(source:http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2017/12/22/editorial-a-lesson-for-tni.html)

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

A lesson for TNI