Military Reform with German Assistance?
Berlin, December 11, 1998
German Ministry of Defense denies plans to assist Indonesian military. Government says it´s intention is to support the democratic opposition movement in Indonesia and to enhance pressure on President Habibie
On Dec. 1, 1998, the well-respected Indonesian daily ‘Suara Pembaruan’ reported that the German Government was offering assistance for the reform of the Indonesian military (ABRI). Germany also offered de-escalation training courses for the Indonesian police in order to ensure a peaceful course of demonstrations and the protection of human rights.
‘Suara Pembaruan’ quoted the Military Attaché at the German Embassy in Jakarta, Georg Eschle. Accompanied by the Ambassador, Mr. Seemann, and Major General (rtd.) Dietrich Genschel, Eschle presented the proposal to Indonesia´s President B.J. Habibie and his Minister of Defense and Commander in Chief, Wiranto, at a seminar on Nov. 19, 1998. Both, Habibie and Wiranto, have welcomed the offer, Eschle said. A first seminar was to take place in January or February 1999. Several German officers will be invited to talk about the ideal military structure according to German patterns.
In a press-release, the German human rights organization Watch Indonesia! has brought to attention the planned assistance for the military and the police. Watch Indonesia! strongly condemned these plans. “Assistance to the Indonesian military is a wrong signal in the current situation. First of all, the abuse of power and human rights violations by the military must be stopped through measures on the political level.” (Watch Indonesia! quoted by epd, Dec. 8, 1998). Some essential pre-condition for any military or police assistance programs are democratic reforms in Indonesia, an end of dwifungsi and the separation of the police from the military. Otherwise the German offer would only help to further stabilize the authoritarian system in Indonesia, Watch Indonesia! stated.
However, the German Ministry of Defense denied that there was an offer to assist the Indonesian military. The remarks of the Military Attaché Georg Eschle were only his personal thoughts that did not represent the German Government´s official stance, said a Ministry spokesperson in an interview with the German news agency epd. Perhaps Eschle who took his post only two months ago was used by some interested Indonesian counterparts. It was admitted that General (rtd.) Dietrich Genschel recently gave a lesson to some Indonesian officers on the German Army´s system of ‘innere Führung’ (internal leadership) . (taz, Dec. 12, 1998)
In an interview with the German daily The Tageszeitung (taz) Military Attaché Eschle confirmed the offer for assistance: “We would like to support the transformation to a genuine democratic structure in Indonesia. It would be possible to send Indonesian police officers to Germany for training or to send German police officers to Indonesia to conduct training courses. The seminars could start in January or February. There are no conditions to this assistance.”
The former German Military Attaché Bruno Hasenpusch pointed out that it is not necessary to send German officers to Indonesia because Indonesian officers could attend German Army seminars anytime.
The Secretary for Human Rights at the German Foreign Ministry, Gerd Poppe, strongly rejected the idea to support the Indonesian army and police under current circumstances. It is essential that the Indonesian Government shows a strong commitment for democratic reforms and the protection of human rights, Poppe said. There were no signals of such a commitment at the moment. German assistance should strengthen democratic reforms in Indonesia and not the authoritarian regime. Poppe announced that the German Government would support the democratic opposition movement in Indonesia and would enhance the pressure on President Habibie. (epd, Dec. 8, 1998)
The Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission at the German Parliament, Mrs. Claudia Roth, is also of the opinion that German assistance to the Indonesian military or the police only makes sense if the government in Jakarta accepts conditions like the separation of military and police and an end of military operations against demonstrators (Frankfurter Rundschau, Dec, 8, 1998). Watch Indonesia! hopes that the new German Government lead by Chancellor Schröder is no longer willing to continue the support for the military and the police in Indonesia without prior improvement of the overall human rights situation. This has been demanded by Watch Indonesia! for several years.
On Dec. 7, 1998, the anniversary of the Indonesian invasion in East Timor, Watch Indonesia!, together with IMBAS, Buko Campaign “Stop arms trade!” and the Campaign Against Arms Trade demanded the German Government to abolish all contracts on arms trade with Indonesia! still being in the pipeline.. The review of arms transfers to Indonesia, as was promised by Mr. Gerd Poppe, is a hopeful signal for future improvements.
