Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – A violent protest by soldiers of the Army's 751st Infantry Battalion in Sentani, Jayapura regency, Papua province, on Wednesday was unusual in a military, which rigidly imposes total obedience to the institution's structural chain of command.
It is perhaps the first of such incidents within the Indonesian Military (TNI) since its establishment in 1945. The question is: Why did the soldiers rebel against their commander? Was it just because of the commander's poor leadership? How can the military tame the rebellious province when soldiers themselves act rebelliously?
The soldiers not only disregarded their commanders' order to stop their protest, but also destroyed the infrastructure within the battalion's compound and injured the battalion's deputy commander. Worse, they also ran after journalists attempting to cover the incident and raided the houses of residents neighboring the battalion's compound.
The soldiers' acts were a violation of three of the main guidelines on soldier's behavior and conduct – the Sapta Marga (Soldiers' Commitment), the Sumpah Prajurit (Soldiers' Oath) and the eight-point Wajib TNI (Soldiers' Obligations) – which require soldiers to fully comply with orders from the chain of command, obliging them to maintain the good image of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and a reputation for respect and politeness towards the Indonesian people.
The Army quickly responded to the incident; Army Chief of Staff Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo announced Thursday that Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Lambok Siahaan has been removed from his position. Disciplinary and administrative sanctions have been imposed on the soldiers that protested.
Earlier on Wednesday, TNI spokesman Air Vice Marshal Sagom Tamboen said the TNI/Army headquarters would thoroughly investigate the case and impose sanctions, including possible termination from active military service, on whoever was involved in the incident. However, it would be unwise if the blame were put solely on the soldiers joining the protest as they might have had some degree of justification – despite their actions being against the law and TNI regulations – in staging it.
Most of the national media have reported that the incident was triggered by the soldiers' disappointment on a decision made by the battalion commander, who had collected money from them to cover air transportation and funeral expenditure for their colleague, a private, who had died of an illness.
Common sense says, however, that it was naive for the soldiers – nearly all of the 1,000-strong battalion – to riot simply over their disappointment at their commander's decision to collect the money for the private's transportation and funeral expenditure. Some media have quoted one of the protesting soldiers as saying that the soldiers' anger was sparked by the commander's frequent skimming of money from the soldiers' allowances.
Tension often rises among soldiers stationed in problematic places for a long time. They depend totally on their salary. Since the fall of Soeharto in 1998, police assumed the responsibility for domestic security and it has become much more difficult for soldiers to earn extra income.
For the sake of the nation the incident in Sentani must be the first and last of its kind. What will happen to our nation if the military, which is supposed to be responsible for helping the police maintain security and order in the country (aside from defending the country), is becomes responsible for instability and disorder?
The army was justified in its decision to immediately impose sanctions on the offending soldiers and dismiss the commander of the battalion, as he was probably the person most responsible for the debacle.
However, the actions were taken too late. A systematic mechanism to prevent such an incident from recurring must be put in place. It should include the promotion of a modern military leadership and management system throughout the TNI. The welfare of TNI soldiers also must be improved, as the lack of this is what prompted the Sentani incident.