Eight Points Of Critique Against General Gatot Nurmantyo Raised By Kontras
General Gatot Nurmantyo Commander in Chief of TNI is looked likely popular among various social community included the University and mass organization included religious organization. His popularity had been likely recognized since he was the Chief of Staff of the Army.
Incidentally he had been also watched by a humanitarian organization mainly KONTRAS (The Commission on The Missing Persons and The Victims of Violence) from political point of view. Apparently KONTRAS has been making record that General Gatot Nurmantyo as Commander in Chief of TNI to have made courageous views on the political situation faced by this country. Within one year since the commemoration of the 71 th until the 72 nd Commemoration Day of TNI KONTRAS recorded eight moment to have been evaluated concerning the performance of General Gatot Nurmantyo who likely has been playing the practical politics for unknown political goal. But now the country is approaching the political year of the Presidential Election in 2019.
The Deputy Coordinator of KONTRAS Puri Kencana Putri said at least it was recorded eight points of statement and attitude of the Commander in Chief of TNI General Gatot Nurmantyo that has been evaluated by KONTRAS as controversial and full of political nuance though it was rejected by General Gatot Nurmantyo as not any practical political motivation in all of his Command activities.
However Puri Kencana Putri said the Statement and the attitude of General Gatot Nurmantyo are not in line with the White Book on the Defense published by The Ministry of Defense
Just short note on This White Book on Defense, this book likely has not been published and distributed widely among the Defense Community so it is not popular Defense document among the Defense Community. Mean while Once there was an article on this book written in the limited and local bulletin that was describing the White Book of Defense published by the Ministry of Defense is lack of points on Defense Interest.
According to Puri Kencana Putri however, TNI has to look back to the White Book on Defense that said the Territorial Defense has to be applied. The Defense Attitude is ought to be base on the management of traditional and non-traditional system. She said the various statements of the Commander in Chief of TNI General Gatot Nurmantyo are definitely to be in the contrary to the White Book on Defense. Puri Kencana Putri gave her view in the Office of Kontras, Jakarta, Wednesday (October 4, 2017). Definitely the statement of Puri Kencana Putri is too general to conclude that Commander in Chief of TNI General Gatot Nurmantyo to have played the Practical Politics.
Even the validity of the White Book on Defense is still necessary to be clarified by a certain group especially designed to compose the White Book on Defense.The review of the various statement made by General Gatot Nurmantyo as recorded by KONTRAS were among others : On May 2016 General GatotNurmantyo released his analysis that Indonesia will enter Zona Proxy War because of her natural resources.
Definitely General Gatot Nurmantyois still necessary to clarify what is his detail analysis described as Proxy War before General Gatot Nurmantyo to have been accused to play the Practical Politics.
When approaching the moment of the TNI’ s 71 Commemoration Day in 2016 General Gatot Nurmantyo demanded the military personnel to regain their political right.
This statement is in line with the principle of democracy and human right when the time is favorable all the soldiers should regain their right to vote in all General Election. This demand is definitely not any relation with the Military Dual Function in the Indonesian Political System applied during the New Order.
Definitely the Military Dual Function system applied during the New Order was not totally wrong, because the national instability needed clearly the participation of eligible military personnel in non-Defense mission.
The original concept of Military Dual Function is the political system that allow the Armed Forces or TNI to convey the idea to solve any national crucial problem in constituting the national development mainly to constitute the national resilience.
In the Mass action organized by the Islamic Defending Front (FPI) known as 212 Moslem Mass Action on December 2, of 2016 General Gatot Nurmantyo was detected to join this Moslem Mass Action, wearing white hat as the identity of the Moslem Mass Action. He joined to pray together until all the mass action dismissed and leaved the National Monument.
However General Gatot Nurmantyo argued his presence among the masses is trying to maintain the conducive situation of the state and to avoid any riot may happen and to maintain the dignity of President Joko Widodo government. It was also for the sake of similar purpose President Jokowi was also present in the praying together.
He argued his presence among the masses was intended to maintain the national unity and to show the respect of the Government Jokowidodo to this mass action as far as the mass action done peacefully and orderly.
On February 2017, Jenderal Gatot Nurmantyo as Commander in Chief of TNI commit in strong debate concerning one of Defense Ministry Regulation that limited the room of activities of Commander in Chief of TNI to implement his development program.
General Gatot Nurmantyo was complaining because of the existing Mindef’s Regulation No 28/2015, in such a way affected the Commander in Chief of TNI could not manage the development budget for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Base on this Mindef’s Regulation the authority right of using the budget is fully under the Ministry of Defense arrangement. One the affect resulted by this Mindef’s Regulation was the buying of Helycopter 101 from Italia that was done without Commander in Chief approval before. Definitely the strong debate was not insurrection type of Commander in Chief of TNI against the Minister of Defense but it was just functional normal debate.
On Mei 2017 General Gatot Nurmantyo was expressing his opposition view concerning the capture of a number of demonstrators of among the leaders of Moslem Mass demonstration accused to have plan to take over the Political Power of the Government.
The objection of General Gatot Nurmantyo on the accusation of taking over the government political power because there was not apparently enough advance facts and to show the Government respects on human right of the people to express their respective will.
In May 2017, General Gatot was present in the National Leadership Meeting of Golkar . As a quest speaker General Gatot Nurmantyo read a poem with the title of “ The result of the development are good but the it is not Ours.” Kontras is of the opinion the action of General Gatot Nurmantyo to read the poem was intended to say the failure of the national development. But General Gatot Nurmatyo is of the opinion the situation that was described in such poem should not happened
On June 2017 in one of the agenda of “Silaturahim of Safari Ramadhan 2017 General Gatot was praying as Imam together with thousands of participants on an open wide yard out side of Jakarta. He apparently did not stop the praying even the rain dropped heavily.
KONTRAS is considering this event to show that General Gatot Nurmantyo is leaning to Moslem political demand. General Gatot Nurmantyo argued due being a moslem he should show he is ready to face together any difficulty may happened in the coming days. General Gatot Nurmantyo want to show the feeling of togetherness among the society and the leader is the best choice of the society.
Finally, General Gatot Nurmatyo as the Commander in Chief of TNI ordered all the members of TNI and all the people around the military camp to see together the film on The Traitor of CPI in September30,1965.
KONTRAS is of the opinion General Gatot Nurmantyo is of the will to create the hate feeling to the member of the society the remnants of CPI who are still a life Gen Gatot Nurmmantyo argued the film is necessary to be seen as the historical tragedy that happened in 1965 will never happen again.
KONTRAS is of the opinion at least base on those eight facts it could be concluded that General Gatot Nurmantyo in fact to have still the ambition to regain the Military Dual Functions , namely TNI members are beside their main function as the security apparatus, TNI is willing to participate in the civilian life of activities.
Openly General Gatot Nurmantyo has been accused to have played the practical politics in the interest of a certain group of political power. The accusation is definitely to be connected to the Presidential Election in 2019. This activity is considered as a practical politics that should not be done by any Commander in Chief of TNI.
General Gatot Nurmantyo is rejecting to be accused to commit in the practical politics in the relation of the Presidential Election of 2019. He realized he has to work well supporting all the national activities of the country. Definitely General Nurmantyo said he did not play any political activity for a certain political party interest. Political activity he played was not base on any political party interest but for the sake of the State interest , namely the National Resilience.
General Gatot said as the Commander in Chief of TNI definitely he played the politic, but to play the state politic. The State Politic is in fact the implementation of the State Mission in accordance to the Constitution.
General Gatot Nurmantyo definitely respected all critiques made by various group of people as published widely in all kind of news media. All of those critiques he has promised to be made as the further reference in his last six month of his job and mission.
He has tried his best to launch his mission according to his job now to develop TNI becoming the TNI he tried to show completely in the anniversary of the 72 th military parade and various show performed by the TNI soldier.
Likely he wants to response wisely all the critiques he got based on record of his various activities that have been considered suspiciously as practical politics. He confessed that he played practical politics but it is the State Practical Politic that is in line with his mission derived of the State Regulation and Order by the Supreme Commander of TNI, the President of The Republic of Indonesia. “According to the Constitution the political position of the Commander in Chief of TNI is on the Central position that means Commander in Chief of TNI is in neutral position in the political game among the political parties’ interest.
TNI is in neutral position in the practical politics done by various political parties. Commander in Chief of TNI definitely should watch the political situation but it should be always in a State Political Position that means Commander in Chief of TNI should know well the political situation but he should be always in neutral position he never join to any political party interest but the State Interest, the mission to develop the National Resilience.
Commander in Chief was trying to be present in various situation to know how is the situation going on and to rectify the political game if it is endangering the national stability and tend to disturb the existing situation of the national security and stability.
Again as the Commander in Chief of TNI General Gatot Nurmantyo realize he has to work in accordance to the Constitution, he has to play practical politics in line with the National Constitution. He realized occasionally he has to be among the political masses but he realized that he will not in their political game and their political interest. General Gatot Nurmantyo has to always realize his activities should be always in line with the Constitution and his political way of thinking and doing are always in the State Political Message.
It has been since he was inaugurated as a soldier until now as the Commander in Chief of TNI he always realize he is the Soldier of the Country, he shall work in line with the National Philosophy of Pancasila, the National Constitution of 1945 and the soldier way of life Sapta Marga and the Soldier Oath.
Subjectively General Gatot Nurmantyo likely is of the idea to be considered as successful Commander in Chief and objectively after the Commemoration of the72 th Day of TNI he will work hard to complete the last six month of his term successfully. He wants to become one of the so many best soldiers of this country.
*) Airla, Political and Security Observer and Director of Strategic Assessment.
