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TNI Chief: Do Not Rush to Put TNI under the Ministry of Defense
Wednesday, 10 November, 2004 | 03:51 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian Military (TNI) chief General Endriartono Sutarto has said he hoped that the plan to place the Indonesian Military (TNI) under the Ministry of Defense would not be carried out in a hurry.

Sutarto went on to say he was worried this might lead the TNI back into the political arena.

The reason for this hope, he continued, was because he considered that politics in Indonesia was not yet fully mature.

As an example, Sutarto cited that if the defense minister’s position was filled by someone from a political party, this could lead the TNI back to being a force that supported one particular political group.

“Do not destroy the democracy process just to make things ideal. As yet, we do not even have any ideal back-up situation,” Sutarto told reporters after a cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Jakarta on Monday (08/11).

He said he had no objection to seeing the TNI placed under the defense ministry if the political situation in Indonesia was supportive.

Sutarto added that any return of the TNI into politics would only ruin all attempts to remove the TNI from any involvement in the political arena.

He said he also considered that the defense ministry has been unfair as it has only brought up issues of TNI’s position in formulating defense concepts.

Meanwhile, the main concepts of the state’s defense also involve other elements than the TNI.

“All this time, the defense ministry feels that defense matters are only related to the TNI. Meanwhile, the ministry should also describe the larger concepts of state defense. Do not just talk about the TNI. The TNI already exists by itself. It has the TNI chief to take care of it,” said Sutarto.

As for the defense ministry’s plan to form a joint working group of the defense ministry and the TNI in managing TNI businesses, Sutarto said he was yet to be informed anything about this. (Sapto Pradityo-Tempo News Room)