TNI Commander Asks Not To Worry About ABRI's Dwifunction: Now ABRI's Multifunction

TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto at the DPR Building, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday, June 6. (Nailin-VOI)

JAKARTA - TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto asked the public not to worry about ABRI's dwifunction. According to him, what is happening now is the multifunction of ABRI, it is no longer ABRI's dual function, as happened in the New Order era. This was conveyed by the TNI Commander in response to the issue of ABRI's dualization because it was one of the substances of the revision of the TNI Law and the Police Law which opened up opportunities for officers to occupy a number of civilian positions. "Now it's not ABRI's dual anymore, ABRI's multifunction. Everything is us. There is our disaster there. Right? Try it. So don't think like that. It's democracy," said Agus at the DPR Building, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday, June 6. Agus then gave an example of ABRI's multifunction in Papua. Where, he said, the TNI did everything, from health services to providing education. "Now in Papua. The one who teaches is my member, the TNI. Then my member's health service. Then you call ABRI's dyafunction or multifunction now? We don't think like that. We are for the good of this country," explained Agus.

Previously, PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto reminded the House of Representatives (DPR) about the history of ABRI's dyfunction in the New Order era which was misused for political purposes. This was conveyed by Hasto in response to one of the substances of the revision of the TNI Law and the Police Law which opened up opportunities for officers to occupy a number of civilian positions. "Spirit dari PDI Perjuangan yang menjadi sikap rakernas berdasarkan kepada seluruh ketentuan MPR di dalam pelaksanaan agenda reformasi, di mana dwifunction ABRI saat itu karena di dalam praktik-praktik politik tersebut," kata Hasto di Ende, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Sabtu, 1 Juni.