Djada tells soldiers to improve professionalism<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): City Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djadja
\nSuparman underlined on Wednesday the importance of improving
\nsoldiers' professionalism in order to provide better service to
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
Speaking ahead of the commemoration of the command's 49th
\nanniversary on Thursday, Djadja said that his office had started
\nupgrading professionalism by, among other things, imposing heavy
\nsanctions on soldiers who had acted against the normal procedures
\nin security operations.<\/p>\n
"The Armed Forces (ABRI) member is also a human. He is not
\nperfect and he may also be worn out with all his duties. He is
\nnot a superhero who is obliged to be the greatest man in the
\nworld."<\/p>\n
"We understand this fact and try endlessly to eliminate our
\nflaws," Djadja said after making a devotional visit to Kalibata
\nHeroes Cemetery in South Jakarta on Wednesday as part of a series
\nof events to commemorate the command's anniversary.<\/p>\n
He admitted that many of his soldiers had committed violations
\nin security operations in the capital during the year, but he
\nsaid that the soldiers' behavior was in their individual
\ncapacities.<\/p>\n
"If there are soldiers who handled protesters rudely as was
\ndisplayed on TV... that's the actions of individuals. They
\nsurely receive punishment and must take the responsibility.
\nInstitutionally our rules do not provide opportunities for them
\nto do so," he said<\/p>\n
Djadja was referring to the TV news transmitted nationwide
\ndepicting soldiers who beat and shot at street protesters.<\/p>\n
"Certainly there are soldiers who behave that way, especially
\nwhen the situation is out of control of the commander or because
\nthe circumstances at that moment goad the soldiers to act against
\nthe rules," he said.<\/p>\n
This year ABRI has received public criticism for the way it
\ndealt with street protesters.<\/p>\n
After the Black Friday incident at the Semanggi cloverleaf in
\nCentral Jakarta on Nov. 13, some 144 personnel from various
\nmilitary units were to be arraigned for opening fire at
\nprotesters without receiving orders from their superiors during
\nthe incident.<\/p>\n
Twelve soldiers have also been "disciplined" for failing to
\ncontrol their subordinates during the unrest which earned ABRI
\nthe public's wrath, and 19 other soldiers have received
\ndisciplinary sanctions for beating up protesters.<\/p>\n
Four Army members would also face court-martial for beating up
\njournalists in an incident on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Central Jakarta
\non Nov. 12.<\/p>\n
The city military also launched investigations into the recent
\nincident at the Senayan flyover and the shooting incident at the
\nCawang flyover afterwards to find any soldiers who had violated
\nthe riot procedure in dispersing student rallies.<\/p>\n
Djadja, who was installed as the city military commander in
\nJuly, also said that his office had reviewed the military's ways
\nof handling riots.<\/p>\n
"At last we have made guidelines, so that in handling a riot
\nwe would first look at the type of rally."<\/p>\n
"If it is just a moral intellectual movement voicing
\naspirations of certain parties or the majority of people and is
\nconducted in line with the existing rules, we will face it
\nwithout a multitude of soldiers, and let the police handle it,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that the deployment of soldiers in the security
\noperations in the capital was the requirements of the police and
\nthe governor.<\/p>\n
During the visit, Djadja and the other command officials
\nstrewed flowers on several graves, including the seven Army
\nofficers who died during an aborted coup on Sept. 30, 1965, and
\nthe former city military commander, the late Lt. Gen. (ret)
\nNorman Sasono. (ivy)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/djada-tells-soldiers-to-improve-professionalism-1447893297",
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