TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - There is an unhealthy rivalry between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri). In recent years, there have been many clashes between the two law and order enforcers. The shooting of four TNI members during the search of an illegal fuel storage facility in Batam last Sunday added to the long list of TNI-Polri battles.
The leaders of both institutions have provided their own accounts, but something seems to be being kept under wraps during explanation time. The two organizations should work together to find the root cause, instead of rushing to defend their personnel.
This obsession with esprit de corps will only confuse the public. For example, in the Batam incident public disquiet arose because of the two contradictory versions of events. According to the police, the trouble started with a raid by 20 officers on a warehouse owned by Bintang Abadi Sukses, a company located 500 meters from the headquarters of the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in Sagulung regency, Batam. The police discovered four drums of illegal fuel. When officers got ready to return to base, a group of men began following them and then blocked their way. The situation became tense. The police were only 'released' after shots fired into the ground hit the legs of two of the men who prevented them from leaving.
But TNI headquarters categorically denies this version of events. The two members of TNI Battalion 134 in Batam who were shot said they were on their way home from evening parade and happened to pass the location of the raid. They were hit in the leg when police officers fired on a vehicle leaving the warehouse. They were then taken to the Brimob headquarters. When he heard what had happened to their colleagues, another TNI member went there, where he claimed to have been beaten and shot in the leg. When another TNI member turned up, he too was shot in the leg. The situation only eased after their respective senior officers intervened.
It should not be too difficult to determine what actually happened. One solution would be to establish a fact-finding team. If necessary, the Police Commission or the National Human Rights Commission could be involved. But any independent team would not be effective if senior TNI and Polri officers insist on defending their men at all costs. There is no need to defend TNI or Polri members who have become gang members or gangs or backers of illegal fuel hoarders.
The Batam incident reminds us that reforms have not completely been achieved within the TNI or Polri. The police still frequently manipulate law enforcement, while some TNI members are still active in business as in the days of the New Order regime. An investigation by Indonesia Police Watch found that most conflicts between the two institutions are triggered by the competition to control the 'security' business. In the three years leading to 2013, there were six major clashes. In one that happened on March of that year, the police headquarters at Ogan Komering Ulu in South Sumatra was burned down by TNI members.
This inharmonious relationship must be put right immediately. This must start with senior TNI and Polri officers. The TNI should return to barracks and become defenders of the nation's sovereignty, while Polri should discharge its duty to maintain public order. Reforms of the TNI and Polri need to be completed. Polri plans to improve professionalism as included in its 2005-2025 Grand Strategy must be resumed. If these efforts remain nothing more than slogans, how can they protect the people and the nation. (*)
