The Jakarta Military Command’s choice to remove banners portraying firebrand cleric and Islam Protectors Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab has raised questions over the Indonesian Armed force’s (TNI) involvement in civilian matters.
Its participation is questionable, Institute for Security and Strategic Researches researcher Khairul Fahmi said, including that the military ought to avoid actions that may be thought about aggressive, such as taking down the FPI banners.
” The military must not be as aggressive as it was this previous week. There should not be any overlap of authorities and functions across state companies,” Fahmi said on Friday as reported by kompas.com.
The military must not insinuate that the nation is under major threat, he included.
” This [taking down banners] intimidates citizens and implies that the country will break apart and remain in turmoil because of the intriguing actions of the couple of.”
Democracy activist group Imparsial deputy director Gufron Mabruri voiced a comparable belief, questioning the seriousness of the TNI’s participation in removing FPI banners at a number of areas throughout Jakarta.
” What is so immediate that the TNI needed to take part in removing FPI banners?” Ghufron said.
The TNI need to follow the proper institutional authorities and rather let the Jakarta administration take down the banners if they had actually certainly been unlawfully set up, especially through the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), he added.
” In the context of Jakarta, there is the Satpol PP, whose tasks include removing [illegal] banners,” he stated.
He even more stated that removing banners was not part of TNI’s tasks, according to the 2004 Law on the TNI, which stipulates that police and public order are not part of TNI’s authorities.
The TNI ought to not order its workers to take part in police if other agencies are already in charge, he added.
” It could be counterproductive, despite political distinction.”
Ghufron recommended all parties to focus on interaction and open discussions to solve their issues.
Formerly, Jakarta Armed Force Leader Maj. Gen. Dudung Abdurrachman stated he had actually ordered his subordinates to take down FPI banners, arguing that Satpol PP personnel had currently taken them down however FPI fans kept putting them back up.
” The officers in uniform who eliminated the banners acted based upon my order,” Dudung said on Friday.
He said the TNI would continue removing banners of those campaigning for a “transformation” or any other comparable rhetoric. (ami)
