Lela E. Madjiah, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
Indonesian military personnel serving in Maluku face a tough
choice: Remain loyal to the republic or leave the military.
The option was offered by Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad)
Chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu during a one-day visit to Ambon
on May 20.
"If you prefer fighting for your place of origin or
religion to being loyal to the state and the military, please
leave the service," Ryamizard told the troops of Kostrad's
503rd Battalion, which is currently deployed in the province, at
the Mahardika square in the city on Tuesday.
"The security forces are the nation's last line in
defending the country's sovereignty as well as protecting its
people, regardless of their religion and ethnic background,"
added Ryamizard, who ordered tough sanctions against deserters and
soldiers who took sides with the warring parties.
Ryamizard has every reason to be tough on his troops. It is
obvious that one factor behind the prolonged ethno-religious
conflict in Maluku is failure of the security forces to remain
neutral.
Under normal circumstances, if the state were facing a foreign
enemy and loyalty of the troops were 100 percent guaranteed,
Ryamizard's order would sound absurd. However, Maluku is not a
normal situation. Troops are dealing with people they know, even
their own flesh and blood.
This is not the first time soldiers have faced a heart-rending
situation. The history of the republic is replete with
secessionist movements that have sacrificed thousands of lives,
both civilian and military, to keep the nation intact. All those
struggles against armed separatist movements have also caused pain
because they divided people who were once brothers and sisters
into opposing camps.
The 13-year Darul Islam rebellion (1949-1962), for example,
pitted government troops against the rebels, who had once fought
alongside the military against Dutch colonial troops. More than
that, both the rebels and many in the military shared the same
background, having come from similar hometowns, sharing a language
and a religion. During the fight against Darul Islam rebels in
West Java, a Muslim stronghold, government troops faced an elusive
and tough enemy that enjoyed support from the population because
of its religious sentiment.
To ensure combat effectiveness, the government then deployed
troops from outside Java to West Java to fight the Darul Islam
rebels. At the same time, troops from Java were sent to Sumatra
and Sulawesi to crush the PRRI/Permesta (Pemerintah Revolusioner
Republik Indonesia/Perjuangan Semesta Alam) rebellion.
The situation in Maluku today is not exactly the same, as
troops are not dealing with rebels, apart from those in the South
Maluku Republic separatist movement. However, there are
similarities between the situation in Maluku and the era when TNI
had to quell various rebellions.
As in the past, religious and ethnic issues play a dominant
factor in the Maluku conflict. On one hand soldiers must tread
carefully along those lines, for otherwise they will not get
popular support and will only create new enemies. On the other,
they must be firm in dealing with armed civilians. The order is to
take action against any armed civilian, although in reality that
is not as simple as it might sound. This is especially true for
soldiers at the military command (Kodam), who are mostly locals.
Even if they don't take sides with the conflicting camps, it is
understandable for them to sympathize with either camp for reasons
of religious or cultural empathy.
Apart from that, it is difficult for soldiers to maintain
loyalty to the state when their own lives are under threat. In
Maluku military personnel have been threatened into taking sides,
otherwise their lives and those of their families would be
jeopardized.
"They (Christian and Muslim groups) threaten soldiers into
joining them. Muslim or Christian militia would not hesitate to
kill soldiers who refuse to fight on their side. Quite a few
soldiers and policemen have been coerced into fighting for one
camp or the other through fear for their own lives or those of
their families," an Army colonel told The Jakarta Post.
Ryamizard's "ultimatum" is also a wake-up call to a
harsh reality: That the Indonesian Military (TNI) has failed to
command the loyalty of its troops. Haven't the troops pledged
loyalty to the nation and the people, regardless of their
ethnicity and religion, instead of to their religion or ethnicity?
This is an issue TNI has to address, because failure to deal with
this problem will not only cost TNI its troops but will also place
the nation in jeopardy. When TNI, and the police, fail to provide
protection for all and remain neutral in communal conflicts, then
fears of disintegration will materialize into reality.
As part of an attempt to solve this problem, TNI has started
sending local personnel out of the area and sending in soldiers
from outside Maluku.
"We have also asked personnel not to join locals in
performing their religious duties. Instead, we hold our own
services, both for Muslims and Christians," said Lt. Col. Tri
S., commander of Kostrad's 503rd Battalion.
He said the policy was enforced to ensure the soldiers'
neutrality.
"Once they worshiped alongside locals at the mosque or
church, they would have emotional ties with the local people that
would be difficult to sever," he explained.
According to Tri, the key to ending the conflict in Maluku was
for security forces to be firm and neutral.
"We can't do that when our own soldiers are divided along
religious and ethnic lines. We must first 'clean' ourselves from
divisive elements before we perform our task," he said.
Pattimura Military chief Brig. Gen. Mustopo, meanwhile, said he
would approach the issue carefully.
"We must have proof (before accusing someone of
impartiality)," he told reporters, following Ryamizards'
order.
So far no member of the Pattimura Military command has been
charged with partiality.
"There have been violations, but not serious ones like
desertion, and the number is less than 20," he said.
However, an Army source said there were over 100 soldiers who
had "defected" to their communities for fear of reprisal
from their own people. They also took their weapons and ammunition
with them, said the source.
His revelation explains Ryamizard's tough statement, but, as
Mustopo said, it was a delicate matter that required more than
just decisiveness, but wisdom as well.
