Overview
Reducing the role of the military in politics and strengthening institutions of civilian oversight have been important challenges facing Indonesian democratizers over the past three years. Given the dominant and unchecked role that the Indonesian military played in the country prior to the fall of President Soeharto, it is not surprising that this task has not been easy. While significant progress has been made to date, the institutions of civilian oversight remain weak. In an attempt to help address this problem, in 1999, NDI with the support of a grant from the United States Agency for International Development, launched a program to strengthen civilian capacity for leadership and oversight of the military.
Building on NDI's earlier partnership with the Center for Security and Peace Studies at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta, NDI initiated a series of activities to strengthen civilian institutions that are critical to civilian leadership, direction, management and control of the military: the legislature, the media, civil society and leading universities.
NDI's work with the legislature has been primarily directed at staff and members of the People's Representative Assembly (DPR) Commission I, the parliamentary committee that has jurisdiction over defense, foreign affairs and human rights. In March 2000, NDI organized a workshop on policy and budget oversight of the military and legislative-executive relations for members of Commission I. In response to a request from members of DPR Commission I and the DPR Center for Research and Information Services, NDI compiled and translated a general memorandum on states of emergency provisions in other countries and in international law. This package was distributed to parliamentarians who were working on revising the government's 1999 Bill on Handling Dangerous Situations. In August and September, 2000 NDI began to work with the Aksara Foundation, an Indonesian NGO to help form a team of Indonesian civilian experts on national security issues and young lawyers who could assist DPR Commission I in drafting new defense laws. NDI has arranged numerous consultations with international experts for members of Commission I and other government officials.
Following up on recommendations from a team of military journalists that NDI brought to Indonesia in November 1999, NDI has organized an extensive training program for journalists who cover the military and national security affairs. In its media-strengthening program, NDI is working with the Indonesian Institute Investigative for Journalism (IIIJ) to provide hands-on experience to members of the regional and national media in investigating military interests through investigative journalism training. Three journalist professional development programs have been arranged thus far. Each exposes participants to three days of intense sessions and training lead by respected defense journalists from around the world, several weeks of on-the-job mentoring and a three-day wrap-up session. In addition to direct training of members of the media, NDI has organized several events to add to the body of knowledge on military reporting in Indonesia. More than 150 participants attended an NDI sponsored seminar on "The Role of Media in the Conflict in Aceh". The event was a venue to analyze the media's role in the Aceh conflict, and examine how reporting is affected by the interests of the military and the armed separatist group, Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM). NDI also published a book entitled Liputan Dari Lapangan: Oknum, Aparat, Prajurit (Reports from the Field: Rogue Soldiers, Security Apparatus, Professional Warriors), a compilation of civil-military relations articles written by alumni participants of NDI's civil-military relations journalist trainings. Plans have been made to translate the book and publish it in English.
NDI is working with Indonesian NGOs on reforming the military economy: in particular Indonesian military involvement in business and Indonesia's reliance on its military business complex as the key source of revenue for defense spending. NDI, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), and Yayasan Yappika held a seminar in May 2001 examining the case of the military foundation, Dharma Putra Kostrad and exploring how the [then] proposed Bill on Foundations would regulate foundation governance and public accountability in the future. In the wake of the bill's passage, NDI is also organizing a international conference that will include Indonesians from a cross-section of society--NGOs, parliamentarians, civil society, members of foundations, and reform-minded military officials--to develop strategies for implementing the Law on Foundations and using this legislation to reform the current system of military business and finance.
Finally, NDI has worked with two Indonesian Universities, the University of Indonesia (UI) and UGM, to revise their security- and defense-related curriculum. In September 1999, NDI and activists from both universities organized a roundtable discussion of civilian national security experts from around the country. The group subsequently prepared and published a "civilian supremacy paradigm" for consideration by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) at its general session and organized public discussions at both universities. The "civilian paradigm" was reprinted in Kompas and The Jakarta Post. From September-November, 2000 NDI held several workshops with the help of its PDGS partners to assist UGM and the UI revise their national security studies curriculum, known in Indonesia as "National Resilience Studies". Following extensive consultations with NDI's in-house experts and external trainers, UGM has decided to develop a program which focuses on peace and conflict resolution studies while the University of Indonesia has adopted a more traditional international relations/national security studies program.
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